Hindu Population In Pakistan Drops From 14 To 2 Percent, Girls Targeted By Fundamentalists: Report

New Delhi: British Hindu advocacy group Insight UK has released a report on the situation of religious minorities in Pakistan. The report, presented to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus on Wednesday, October 28, expresses concern about the plight of minorities in Pakistan, particularly Hindus. The report claims systematic persecution of Hindus in Pakistan, ranging from property seizures and forced conversions to communal violence. The report also expresses concern over the declining Hindu population in Pakistan.

According to Insight UK, since the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Hindus in the country have faced discrimination, attacks on temples, and threats to their lives and property. Before the partition of India, the Hindu population in present-day Pakistan was over 14 percent (as per the 1941 census). Currently, the Hindu population in Pakistan is less than 2 percent.

• INSIGHT UK has released its report titled Religious Persecution of Hindus in Pakistan.
• This report has been presented before the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Hindus.
• Every year, 1,000 girls from Hindu and Christian communities are kidnapped in Pakistan.
• In Pakistan, Hindu and Christian women are being forcibly converted to Islam and married.
• The report presents evidence, survivor testimonies and ground realities directly to Parliament.
• The report focuses on protecting the human rights and religious freedom of Hindus and minorities in Pakistan.

The report is based on witnesses

INSIGHT UK claims the report brings together historical evidence and current testimonies about discrimination against Hindu communities in Pakistan , threats to religious freedom and dignity. The report highlights that 1,000 girls from Hindu and Christian communities are abducted, forcibly converted, and married to their abductors every year.

Human rights organizations and international reports have repeatedly documented this pattern in Pakistan, with young women from minority communities being particularly affected. This report is significant because it presents evidence, survivor testimonies, and ground realities directly to Parliament.

There is no temple in Islamabad

The report states that there is not a single Hindu temple in Islamabad. Plans to build a temple for Hindus in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, were halted in 2020 due to violent protests by Islamic groups, despite receiving official permission. The temple's failure to be built serves as a stark example of the vulnerable position of minorities. The report makes five immediate demands of the UK government.

1. Making the protection of minorities a prerequisite for all UK-Pakistan dialogue.
2. Taking timely steps to protect temples and ensuring speedy trials of cases.
3. Linking British aid to Pakistan to improving human rights conditions and reserving separate funds for minority rights groups.
4. Reserving two positions for members of minority communities at the British High Commission in Islamabad to report incidents of violence and abuse.
5. Publishing an official report every six months on the socio-economic situation of minorities. Also, creating avenues for safe haven for victims of forced conversion.