On Wednesday, Pakistan Police in Ghotki arrested a journalist named Nasrallah Gaddani for covering the plight of Pakistani Hindus trapped in the ongoing floods in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The journalist has been sent on remand for 5 days.
Police in Ghotki, #Sindh arrested journalist Nasrallah Gaddani after he covered the story of #Hindu flood victims who had been expelled from the relief camp. He has been put on remand for 5 days. pic.twitter.com/M8lfwJFvD0
— SAMRI (@SAMRIReports) September 7, 2022
According to the reports, the journalist had covered the heart-wrenching story of Pakistani Hindus belonging to the Bhagri community in Mirpur Mathelo of Sindh. The journalist reported that the local administration had expelled the Bhagri community people from the flood relief camp for being Hindus.
The video of the Bhagri community people explaining their terrible situation amid the floods in Sindh also went viral on social media. The people in the video confirmed that the Pakistani local administration had expelled them from the flood relief camps and had told them that they were not the flood victims.
#Hindu Bhagri community in Mirpur Mathelo, #Sindh province alleged that the local administration expelled them from the flood relief camp and told them that they were not flood victims. pic.twitter.com/degzAs4iMa
— SAMRI (@SAMRIReports) September 7, 2022
The Hindu victims in the video could be seen crying after being denied basic resources like food, water, and shelter by the local administration. “We have been expelled for being Hindus. They have refused to provide us with food and water. They think we are not the victims of floods. Where will we go now? How are children supposed to survive”, a woman was heard saying.
“We are poor. We have lost our homes in the floods. And they (local administration) tell us we are not flood victims. We have small children with us. Where do we go now? How do we survive without food and water?”, a man further pondered.
Hindu people residing in Pakistan have been facing adversities and severe institutionalized discrimination in Pakistan. However, the recent flood-like situation in the Sindh province has added to their plight. Earlier, it was reported that a Hindu girl was gang raped by two Islamist men on the pretext of providing food amid devastating floods in the Sindh province.
The video of the victim girl had gone viral over social media where she could be seen crying on camera. On August 31, a similar video from Pakistan had gone viral over social media where a man was seen complaining of attempted rapes of their women by Pakistani goons. Another incident was reported during the last week in Sindh, Pakistan, where an 8-year-old Hindu girl was gang-raped amid the devastating floods. The suspects scratched her entire face and also gouged out her eyes.
To note, many of the Hindus living in Sindh province of Pakistan are among the poorest sections of Pakistani society. They face human rights violations in cases regarding land grabbing, abduction, and conversion. They have fewer employment opportunities and many still live as bonded labourers under Muslim landlords. Hindus also suffer routine exploitation which they dare not report to the police.
The current floods in the southern part of Pakistan have created havoc by killing more than 1300 people. According to the reports, the UN refugee agencies have rushed to provide desperately needed aid to flood-stricken Pakistan. While the floods have touched much of Pakistan, the southern Sindh province remains the most affected posing threat to the communities living in the area.
