A Hindu politician in Pakistan, Danesh Kumar, has accused his fellow lawmakers of trying to get him to convert to Islam and warned them not to preach Islam to him. He also discussed the country’s aggravating food crisis when addressing the Senate, the upper house of the Pakistani Parliament on Thursday.
Danesh Kumar stated, “My colleagues often urge me to recite the ‘Kalima’ and get converted to Islam. First, teach Islam to the criminal Muslims (hoarders) and then ask me to do so.” ‘Kalima’ is the formal content of the ‘Shahada’ (declaration of faith in Islam).
Danesh Kumar slammed the incumbent government for doing little to prevent the food hoarders in the market. He also attacked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s administration for bringing about the country’s catastrophic food crisis. Speaking on Pakistan’s current inflation problem, he remarked, “It is a source of embarrassment that food costs have increased in the holy month of Ramazan.”
His comments coincided with recent reports of stampedes that killed individuals queuing for food during the delivery of free rations. This year’s Ramadaz has already witnessed 16 fatalities as people frantically sought out free wheat flour and other food items under historically high inflation.
He was elected to the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan on a reserved seat for minorities in the 2018 Pakistani general election representing Balochistan Awami Party (BAP). He is currently serving in the country’s senate. He has been the senate’s most outspoken opponent of the forced conversion of minorities (Hindu and Christian) to Islam.
Pakistan is notorious for the atrocities committed against minorities, particularly Hindus. Minor Hindu girls are the regular victims of kidnapping, rape, and forced conversions in the country. The Pakistan government has regularly come under fire for its treatment of minorities and the absence of measures to ensure their safety and security against continuous oppression.