On 26th February, Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) released its new report on the human rights situation in the country. The report, “Under Siege: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2023/24,” gave a dark account of increasing violence, forced conversions, and institutionalised discrimination against Pakistan’s Hindus, particularly in Sindh province.
Violence against Hindus in Pakistan includes mob violence, temple desecration, targeted kidnappings and forced conversion of Hindu girls. The report highlights how the judicial process in Pakistan, extremist elements, and inaction of government officials have placed Hindus in a seriously vulnerable position with little chance of justice.
Hindus of Sindh – A troubled community
Hindus today are merely 2% of the country’s population, most of whom live in rural Sindh. They are consistently in a state of perpetual fear of extremist elements. Sindh Hindus are mostly Scheduled Castes. They work as bonded labourers in shady conditions. The economic and social vulnerabilities of Hindus in such a situation make them easy targets for extremists.
Hindus in Sindh are also being subjected to increasing discrimination, intimidation, and day-to-day humiliation. Hindu families report incidents of public harassment, refusal of access to common facilities, and day-to-day intimidation. Reportedly, a Hindu bride was assaulted on her wedding day by the son of a Sindh tribal chief. The family for scared to the point that they fled over to India within months. Many such cases often do not find a place in mainstream media or get investigated by the authorities.
The forced conversion crisis
Forced conversion of Hindu girls continues to be one of the gravest problems in Pakistan. The HRCP report says that districts such as Ghotki, Umerkot, and Tharparkar are Hindu abduction hubs. Most of the victims are underage girls who are abducted, coerced into conversion to Islam, and wedded to Muslim men in the guise of “voluntary conversions.”.
Even the courts and police join extremists in their backing. They do not allow Hindu girls to go back to their families despite their repeated pleas.
Clerics like Mian Abdul Haq (Mian Mithu) play a crucial role in such forced conversions. The report indicated that his seminary, Dargah Bharchundi Sharif in Ghotki, is repeatedly used for the forced conversion of abducted Hindu girls. They are forcefully married off to Muslim men and coerced into signing affidavits of “voluntary conversion”.
One of the cases that were reported by international media included two Hindu sisters, Reena and Raveena, who were kidnapped in Sindh. Their parents begged the court to return them, but the judge legalised their forced marriage. Interestingly, the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act has 18 as the minimum age for marriage, but the judge categorically ignored the law. HRCP noted that now majority of the Hindu families have stopped sending their daughters to school out of fear of abduction.
Mob violence and Hindu attacks
The report pointed out that Hindu temples, shops, and homes have been repeatedly attacked by extremist mobs. In 2023, a Hindu temple in Soldier Bazaar, Karachi, was bulldozed by local authorities on a false pretext to accommodate commercial use.
Similarly, Hindu families in the Kashmore district were intimidated when extremists fired a rocket at a Hindu temple. Hindu homes were looted during riots that broke out over false accusations of blasphemy. HRCP observes that, in such cases, the police do not act or are not willing to act against extremists.
Hindus are also accused of false blasphemy, and it has led to catastrophic consequences. Nautan Lal, a Hindu head teacher of a school, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022. In 2019 a student falsely accused him of blasphemy. He was acquitted in March 2024 after a protracted court fight, but acquittal is not enough to guarantee his security in Pakistan. Nautan Lal will be living in fear for the rest of his life, always looking over his shoulders. HRCP warns that a Hindu in Pakistan is enough to invite a deadly accusation of blasphemy.
A Hindu legal system biased against Hindus
The HRCP condemned the justice system in Pakistan, which has failed to safeguard Hindus. Police authorities used to deny accepting FIRs in Hindu crimes. Even when the FIR is filed, the judiciary is influenced by religious pressure and tends to take sides with the criminals.
The report documents how Hindus are being denied justice. Abduction and forced conversion cases are normally pending in courts. Even if Hindu families manage to file cases, intimidation of witnesses, prejudiced judges, and extremist protests ensure that judgments never favour the victims.
Extremism and state collusion
The HRCP report highlighted extremists dominate the political and social life in Pakistan. Islamist parties like Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) openly incite violence against minorities. According to the report, mob violence against Hindus is typically planned by using mosque loudspeakers and social media, mobilising mobs within hours.
But the Pakistani state never acted against these attacks. Despite conclusive proof of abduction and conversion of Hindu girls, the state has not taken concrete legal measures to criminalise these attacks. Even the Supreme Court 2014 judgment regarding minority rights is not being followed. The security agencies and political leadership ignore anti-Hindu violence.
HRCP has urged the Pakistani state to initiate an immediate crackdown on Islamist forces, enact stricter legislation against child marriages, and create an independent commission to monitor minority rights. If not, Pakistan’s Hindus will be in a crisis of survival.
HRCP’s report testifies that Pakistan’s Hindus are under attack. Targeted killings, forced conversions, mob lynching, and institutionalised bias have caused some to cross the border and migrate to India, escaping a country that is no longer providing them with safety.
With the spread of extremist forces and blasphemy laws still being weaponised, Hindus are being left vulnerable at the hands of an increasingly militant system. Without drastic reforms happening in the not-too-distant future, Pakistan’s Hindu minority may become a thing of the past.
