Cpt. Rishwat
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Indian parliament and their judges of law are majority hindus. I hope there is no heartburn for you if I merely point out this somewhat evident truth.
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"Will show Modi government how to treat minorities": says Imran Khan
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Indian parliament and their judges of law are majority hindus. I hope there is no heartburn for you if I merely point out this somewhat evident truth.
Gabbar Singh
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Abdullah719
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EXCLUSIVE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EXCLUSIVE</a
We spent more than 2 months observing the Hindu Ecosystem group formed by Kapil Mishra.<br><br>And without us asking, were added to bigger splinter groups which work day & night to create misinformation, hateful content and fake Twitter trends.<a href="https://t.co/sEcsY7TM8N">https://t.co/sEcsY7TM8N</a></p>— Infojivi Meghnad �� (@Memeghnad) <a href="https://twitter.com/Memeghnad/status/1361328944193052675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
We spent more than 2 months observing the Hindu Ecosystem group formed by Kapil Mishra.<br><br>And without us asking, were added to bigger splinter groups which work day & night to create misinformation, hateful content and fake Twitter trends.<a href="https://t.co/sEcsY7TM8N">https://t.co/sEcsY7TM8N</a></p>— Infojivi Meghnad �� (@Memeghnad) <a href="https://twitter.com/Memeghnad/status/1361328944193052675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Senate panel ‘turns down’ bill on minorities rights
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony turned down on Monday a private bill regarding the protection of the rights of minorities, saying that the minorities were enjoying complete religious freedom in the country.
A committee meeting, chaired by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, observed that the existing laws were already providing unprecedented religious freedom to minorities, adding that that the proposals in the bill were already present in the laws.
The Protection of the Rights of Religious Minorities Bill was presented by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Javed Abbasi. He said that the minorities should have the opportunities to go to their sacred religious places in a free environment.
Abbasi said that 8 million Hindus lived in Pakistan, and stressed that minorities should have the opportunities to go to their sacred religious places in a free environment. He also pointed to incidents of forced conversion in Sindh and other areas.
In many cases, young girls are forcibly converted, Abbasi said, adding that the state of Pakistan would not allow such acts. “We do not treat minorities in Pakistan as [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi is doing in India,” he said.
Haideri observed that the government was even constructing temples for the minorities, while minorities had the liberty to establish their religious educational institutions. He added that temple vandalising in Karak had wrongly been attributed to the Muslims.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Senator Sirajul Haq termed the bill a part of the agenda of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Religious affairs ministry secretary Ejaz Khan Jaffar told the committee that the protection of the rights of minorities had been handed over to the provinces after the 18th Amendment.
During the meeting, there were heated exchanges between the members of the committee. Haq said that a minor girl cannot be married. As far as the hate speech was concerned, he added, the law should be applied to all – opposition members and the treasury members.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Krishna Kumari Kolhi (Kishoo Bai) said that they did not seek legislation on speeches in the Senate, but on the issue of inciting people to kill and harm others. Haq said if the Sindh government did not apply the law and could not protect people it was its problem.
“What did terrorism in Machh have to do with Islam or any other religion,” Haq asked. “Terrorism has no religion,” Haideri replied. Abbasi said that he had no objection if the bill was rejected. However, Haideri said that “reject” was a strong word, instead the bill should be turned down.
Later, Kishoo Bai walked out of the meeting in protest after the bill failed to pass through the committee. “You [should] reject it [bill] to show that you do not want to protect minorities,” Bai said. “I can't sit on such a committee.”
The committee endorsed the Muslim Family Law Ordinance 1961, (Amendment) Bill 2020 with the directions for further amendments to it. The bill was also moved by Senator Abbasi. He said special allowance for elderly parents, who have no other source of income, should be made part of the law.
Source:https://www.google.com.hk/amp/s/tri...el-turns-down-bill-on-minorities-rights?amp=1
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony turned down on Monday a private bill regarding the protection of the rights of minorities, saying that the minorities were enjoying complete religious freedom in the country.
A committee meeting, chaired by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, observed that the existing laws were already providing unprecedented religious freedom to minorities, adding that that the proposals in the bill were already present in the laws.
The Protection of the Rights of Religious Minorities Bill was presented by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Javed Abbasi. He said that the minorities should have the opportunities to go to their sacred religious places in a free environment.
Abbasi said that 8 million Hindus lived in Pakistan, and stressed that minorities should have the opportunities to go to their sacred religious places in a free environment. He also pointed to incidents of forced conversion in Sindh and other areas.
In many cases, young girls are forcibly converted, Abbasi said, adding that the state of Pakistan would not allow such acts. “We do not treat minorities in Pakistan as [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi is doing in India,” he said.
Haideri observed that the government was even constructing temples for the minorities, while minorities had the liberty to establish their religious educational institutions. He added that temple vandalising in Karak had wrongly been attributed to the Muslims.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Senator Sirajul Haq termed the bill a part of the agenda of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Religious affairs ministry secretary Ejaz Khan Jaffar told the committee that the protection of the rights of minorities had been handed over to the provinces after the 18th Amendment.
During the meeting, there were heated exchanges between the members of the committee. Haq said that a minor girl cannot be married. As far as the hate speech was concerned, he added, the law should be applied to all – opposition members and the treasury members.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Krishna Kumari Kolhi (Kishoo Bai) said that they did not seek legislation on speeches in the Senate, but on the issue of inciting people to kill and harm others. Haq said if the Sindh government did not apply the law and could not protect people it was its problem.
“What did terrorism in Machh have to do with Islam or any other religion,” Haq asked. “Terrorism has no religion,” Haideri replied. Abbasi said that he had no objection if the bill was rejected. However, Haideri said that “reject” was a strong word, instead the bill should be turned down.
Later, Kishoo Bai walked out of the meeting in protest after the bill failed to pass through the committee. “You [should] reject it [bill] to show that you do not want to protect minorities,” Bai said. “I can't sit on such a committee.”
The committee endorsed the Muslim Family Law Ordinance 1961, (Amendment) Bill 2020 with the directions for further amendments to it. The bill was also moved by Senator Abbasi. He said special allowance for elderly parents, who have no other source of income, should be made part of the law.
Source:https://www.google.com.hk/amp/s/tri...el-turns-down-bill-on-minorities-rights?amp=1
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- 217,977
Farah, a 12-year-old Christian girl, says she was taken from her home in Pakistan last summer, shackled, forced to convert to Islam and made to marry her kidnapper. It's a fate estimated to befall hundreds of young Christian, Hindu and Sikh women and children in the country each year.
On 25 June, Farah was at home in Faisalabad, Pakistan's third most populous city, with her grandfather, three brothers and two sisters when they heard knocking on their front door. She remembers her grandfather going to open it. Then three men burst in, grabbed Farah and forced her into a van outside.
They warned the family that if they tried to get her back "they'd make us regret it", says Farah's father, Asif, who was at work at the time.
Asif went to the nearest police station to report the crime - even providing the name of one of the abductors, whom Farah's grandfather had recognised - but he says the officers showed little interest in helping.
"They were very unco-operative and refused to register the crime. Not only that but they pushed me around and verbally abused me."
Despite repeated complaints to the police it was three months before they finally registered the incident. And even then they took no action.
During this time, 12-year-old Farah, who'd been driven 70 miles (110km) to a house in the nearby city of Hafizabad, says she was raped, shackled and treated like a slave.
"I was chained most of the time and ordered to clean the abductor's home as well as take care of the animals in the yard outside. It was terrible," she says.
"They'd put chains on my ankles, and tied me with a rope. I tried to cut the rope and get the chains off, but I couldn't manage it. I prayed every night, saying, 'God, please help me.'"
There were about two million Christians in Pakistan at the time of the last census, just over 1% of the total population.
According to human rights organisations as many as 1,000 Christian, Hindu and Sikh girls are abducted each year. Many of them are forced to convert to Islam, because it is widely believed in Pakistan that marriages under the age of 16 are acceptable under Sharia law if both of those marrying are Muslim. And this is what happened in Farah's case: she was forced to convert, then married by her abductor.
The National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP) says the number of such abductions is increasing.
"It's hundreds, hundreds, many girls, many girls. This crime is committed by many people, and the authorities don't do anything," says the NCCP's general secretary, Bishop Victor Azariah.
Listen to Mike Thomson's report on child abductions in Pakistan on the World at One, at 13:00 on BBC Radio 4, on Wednesday 10 March
Or catch up later online
Farah's desperately worried father, Asif, sought help from his local church, which then organised legal aid for the family.
In early December, after five months of desperate lobbying for the abductor to be arrested and for Farah to be set free, police finally took action.
"Four police came to the abductor's house and told people there that the court had ordered that I must come with them to a police station," says Farah.
On 5 December, her case came before Faisalabad's District and Sessions Courts and the magistrate sent her to a shelter for women and children, while further investigations were carried out.
But once again there was bad news.
While the family waited for a final decision from the courts, police told Farah's father they were dropping their investigation - because Farah said that she had agreed to both the marriage and the conversion.
Farah then repeated this in court on 23 January. But court officials were suspicious that she may have been coerced into making the statement - and Farah says this was indeed the case.
"I said this because the abductor told me that if I didn't he'd first kill me, then murder my father, followed by my brothers and sisters. My whole family. I was really afraid that he'd do this, so I agreed to say what he told me."
Three weeks later on 16 February, nearly eight months after she was taken from her home, judges ruled that Farah's marriage had not been registered properly and was therefore invalid.
She was saved thanks to a technicality - and reunited with her family.
Even when abducted children are rescued, their ordeal is often far from over. In many cases threats are made to abduct them again, or kill family members, and the trauma goes on.
This is what happened in the case of Maria Shahbaz, a 14-year-old Christian girl, who managed to escape after being kidnapped and forced to marry her abductor. She and her family have since been forced to go into hiding following repeated death threats.
In an effort to help Maria, a 12,500-name petition organised by the UK-based charity, Aid to the Church in Need, was recently handed in to the UK government. Signed by more than 30 British parliamentarians, including bishops, peers and MPs, it calls for her to be granted asylum.
Aid to the Church in Need's Spokesman, John Pontifex, says the situation facing many abducted girls and their families in Pakistan has become desperate.
"The trauma these children go through is often compounded by the threats they and their families face after being freed from their abductors. For some, like Maria, asylum in the UK is their only hope of safety."
Pakistan's prime minister, the former cricketer Imran Khan, has ordered an investigation into forced conversion of religious minorities in the predominantly Muslim country.
His special representative on religious harmony, Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, recently stated: "Forced marriages, forced conversion of religion and abduction of underage girls of other religions in the name of marriages, will not be tolerated."
However, Asif's experience with the police suggests that there is a long way to go. He has pledged to continue his efforts to get the three men accused of abducting his daughter prosecuted.
Farah, now 13, is overjoyed to be at home again, and is recovering from the trauma of what happened to her with the aid of a psychologist. She fervently hopes that action will finally be taken to spare other girls the same fate.
"I pray that God will protect all children in Pakistan, that he will watch over them all."
https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-56337182
On 25 June, Farah was at home in Faisalabad, Pakistan's third most populous city, with her grandfather, three brothers and two sisters when they heard knocking on their front door. She remembers her grandfather going to open it. Then three men burst in, grabbed Farah and forced her into a van outside.
They warned the family that if they tried to get her back "they'd make us regret it", says Farah's father, Asif, who was at work at the time.
Asif went to the nearest police station to report the crime - even providing the name of one of the abductors, whom Farah's grandfather had recognised - but he says the officers showed little interest in helping.
"They were very unco-operative and refused to register the crime. Not only that but they pushed me around and verbally abused me."
Despite repeated complaints to the police it was three months before they finally registered the incident. And even then they took no action.
During this time, 12-year-old Farah, who'd been driven 70 miles (110km) to a house in the nearby city of Hafizabad, says she was raped, shackled and treated like a slave.
"I was chained most of the time and ordered to clean the abductor's home as well as take care of the animals in the yard outside. It was terrible," she says.
"They'd put chains on my ankles, and tied me with a rope. I tried to cut the rope and get the chains off, but I couldn't manage it. I prayed every night, saying, 'God, please help me.'"
There were about two million Christians in Pakistan at the time of the last census, just over 1% of the total population.
According to human rights organisations as many as 1,000 Christian, Hindu and Sikh girls are abducted each year. Many of them are forced to convert to Islam, because it is widely believed in Pakistan that marriages under the age of 16 are acceptable under Sharia law if both of those marrying are Muslim. And this is what happened in Farah's case: she was forced to convert, then married by her abductor.
The National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP) says the number of such abductions is increasing.
"It's hundreds, hundreds, many girls, many girls. This crime is committed by many people, and the authorities don't do anything," says the NCCP's general secretary, Bishop Victor Azariah.
Listen to Mike Thomson's report on child abductions in Pakistan on the World at One, at 13:00 on BBC Radio 4, on Wednesday 10 March
Or catch up later online
Farah's desperately worried father, Asif, sought help from his local church, which then organised legal aid for the family.
In early December, after five months of desperate lobbying for the abductor to be arrested and for Farah to be set free, police finally took action.
"Four police came to the abductor's house and told people there that the court had ordered that I must come with them to a police station," says Farah.
On 5 December, her case came before Faisalabad's District and Sessions Courts and the magistrate sent her to a shelter for women and children, while further investigations were carried out.
But once again there was bad news.
While the family waited for a final decision from the courts, police told Farah's father they were dropping their investigation - because Farah said that she had agreed to both the marriage and the conversion.
Farah then repeated this in court on 23 January. But court officials were suspicious that she may have been coerced into making the statement - and Farah says this was indeed the case.
"I said this because the abductor told me that if I didn't he'd first kill me, then murder my father, followed by my brothers and sisters. My whole family. I was really afraid that he'd do this, so I agreed to say what he told me."
Three weeks later on 16 February, nearly eight months after she was taken from her home, judges ruled that Farah's marriage had not been registered properly and was therefore invalid.
She was saved thanks to a technicality - and reunited with her family.
Even when abducted children are rescued, their ordeal is often far from over. In many cases threats are made to abduct them again, or kill family members, and the trauma goes on.
This is what happened in the case of Maria Shahbaz, a 14-year-old Christian girl, who managed to escape after being kidnapped and forced to marry her abductor. She and her family have since been forced to go into hiding following repeated death threats.
In an effort to help Maria, a 12,500-name petition organised by the UK-based charity, Aid to the Church in Need, was recently handed in to the UK government. Signed by more than 30 British parliamentarians, including bishops, peers and MPs, it calls for her to be granted asylum.
Aid to the Church in Need's Spokesman, John Pontifex, says the situation facing many abducted girls and their families in Pakistan has become desperate.
"The trauma these children go through is often compounded by the threats they and their families face after being freed from their abductors. For some, like Maria, asylum in the UK is their only hope of safety."
Pakistan's prime minister, the former cricketer Imran Khan, has ordered an investigation into forced conversion of religious minorities in the predominantly Muslim country.
His special representative on religious harmony, Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, recently stated: "Forced marriages, forced conversion of religion and abduction of underage girls of other religions in the name of marriages, will not be tolerated."
However, Asif's experience with the police suggests that there is a long way to go. He has pledged to continue his efforts to get the three men accused of abducting his daughter prosecuted.
Farah, now 13, is overjoyed to be at home again, and is recovering from the trauma of what happened to her with the aid of a psychologist. She fervently hopes that action will finally be taken to spare other girls the same fate.
"I pray that God will protect all children in Pakistan, that he will watch over them all."
https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-56337182
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- 217,977
A 13-year-old girl was kidnapped from her home in Tangwani Taluka of Kashmore, her family has said.
Her father Takhtmal told SAMAA Digital that his daughter Kavita was kidnapped from their home by five people on March 8 and he hasn’t heard from her.
The family has filed an FIR against the kidnappers. In his statement, her father told the police that five people dragged his daughter from their home to a white vehicle and sped away.
He told police that he can identify four of the five kidnappers and their names are Mushtaq, Bhural, Rustam and Muhammad Bux. Two of them were carrying pistols. They told us not to resist and said they will marry her off to Mushtaq, Takhtmal said in his statement.
Kavita was converted to Islam Tuesday in the presence of Pir Abdul Khaliq, the caretaker of Khanqah-i-Aalia Qadria Bharchundi Sharif in Daharki, according to a video seen by SAMAA Digital.
The teenager has been moved to Ghotki from Kashmore where she appeared before a court and sought protection from her family because she claimed she married Mushtaq against the will of her parents, Sindh chief minister’s Special Assistant and a lawyer Veerji Kohli said.
Kashmore SSP Amjad Shaikh confirmed that she appeared before a court on Wednesday and told the judge that her age is over 18.
Kohli said there is no law to prove if someone is forcefully converted because the girls or young women appear before a judge and tell them they converted of their own free will. But, he added that the police will deal with this case under the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act.
In 2014, the Sindh Assembly unanimously adopted the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, which raised the legal minimum age of marriage for boys and girls to 18 years. It made the act a punishable offence. A man, above 18 years, who contracts a child marriage, can now be imprisoned for three years.
The court, Kohli believes, will order a medical examination to ascertain Kavita’s age and if she is under 18 then her marriage will be void.
SAMAA
Her father Takhtmal told SAMAA Digital that his daughter Kavita was kidnapped from their home by five people on March 8 and he hasn’t heard from her.
The family has filed an FIR against the kidnappers. In his statement, her father told the police that five people dragged his daughter from their home to a white vehicle and sped away.
He told police that he can identify four of the five kidnappers and their names are Mushtaq, Bhural, Rustam and Muhammad Bux. Two of them were carrying pistols. They told us not to resist and said they will marry her off to Mushtaq, Takhtmal said in his statement.
Kavita was converted to Islam Tuesday in the presence of Pir Abdul Khaliq, the caretaker of Khanqah-i-Aalia Qadria Bharchundi Sharif in Daharki, according to a video seen by SAMAA Digital.
The teenager has been moved to Ghotki from Kashmore where she appeared before a court and sought protection from her family because she claimed she married Mushtaq against the will of her parents, Sindh chief minister’s Special Assistant and a lawyer Veerji Kohli said.
Kashmore SSP Amjad Shaikh confirmed that she appeared before a court on Wednesday and told the judge that her age is over 18.
Kohli said there is no law to prove if someone is forcefully converted because the girls or young women appear before a judge and tell them they converted of their own free will. But, he added that the police will deal with this case under the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act.
In 2014, the Sindh Assembly unanimously adopted the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, which raised the legal minimum age of marriage for boys and girls to 18 years. It made the act a punishable offence. A man, above 18 years, who contracts a child marriage, can now be imprisoned for three years.
The court, Kohli believes, will order a medical examination to ascertain Kavita’s age and if she is under 18 then her marriage will be void.
SAMAA
El Generico
Local Club Star
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Thrashed’ for Phoning Delhi Police Helpline, Muslim Man Needs Spinal Surgery
New Delhi: Lying in bed at his Chhatarpur home, 29-year-old Wasim Khan is barely able to move. The spinal support belt wrapped around his waist does not help him much. On the night of May 18, 2021, Khan had been “thrashed” by three policemen at the Fatehpur Beri Police Station, Delhi. Since then, he said, he has “been in pain even when going to the washroom”.
All Khan had done was phone the Delhi Police helpline number 100 when a fight that had broken out in his neighbourhood seemed to have got out of control. Little did he know that merely reporting this incident to the police as a Muslim man would lead him to be beaten so badly with lathis that he would need surgery.
According to Khan’s uncle, Ahmed Ali, who lives in the same neighbourhood as Khan, Chandan Hulla in south Delhi’s Chhatarpur, around 9 pm on May 17, 2021, two brothers from the area got into a fight outside his nephew’s home.
The fight escalated and others from the neighbourhood got involved. The two sides even threw stones at each other, Khan recounted. “This was when some people, including me, tried to intervene by calling the police helpline no. 100,” Khan said.
The police from the nearby Fatehpur Beri police station finally arrived at the neighbourhood at around 10 pm, broke up the fight and dispersed the crowd, said Ali. At around 11:30 pm the same night, the police knocked at Wasim Khan’s door. They reportedly told him he needed to accompany them to the police station to give his statement as a witness.
“The police gathered six of us, all Muslims, including the three of us who had tried calling the 100 helpline number. They said they needed us to give a statement about the fight. It was very late, but we went,” Khan said.
The ordeal
Speaking to The Wire over the phone, Khan’s voice started shaking as he described the ordeal that followed. When they reached the Fatehpur Beri police station, he said, the police seized his phone and three or four policemen took him to a separate room.
“They simply took me aside and started beating me,” said Khan, his voice now cracking. “They beat me with their lathis. Sub-inspector Satender Guliya hit me with his elbows and kept striking a lathi on my back. The other two men, Praveen and Jitend
More on : https://thewire.in/communalism/thra...lice-helpline-muslim-man-needs-spinal-surgery
This is barbaric and too think this was done by the police to a witness. Are Muslims not allowed to call the cops in India?
New Delhi: Lying in bed at his Chhatarpur home, 29-year-old Wasim Khan is barely able to move. The spinal support belt wrapped around his waist does not help him much. On the night of May 18, 2021, Khan had been “thrashed” by three policemen at the Fatehpur Beri Police Station, Delhi. Since then, he said, he has “been in pain even when going to the washroom”.
All Khan had done was phone the Delhi Police helpline number 100 when a fight that had broken out in his neighbourhood seemed to have got out of control. Little did he know that merely reporting this incident to the police as a Muslim man would lead him to be beaten so badly with lathis that he would need surgery.
According to Khan’s uncle, Ahmed Ali, who lives in the same neighbourhood as Khan, Chandan Hulla in south Delhi’s Chhatarpur, around 9 pm on May 17, 2021, two brothers from the area got into a fight outside his nephew’s home.
The fight escalated and others from the neighbourhood got involved. The two sides even threw stones at each other, Khan recounted. “This was when some people, including me, tried to intervene by calling the police helpline no. 100,” Khan said.
The police from the nearby Fatehpur Beri police station finally arrived at the neighbourhood at around 10 pm, broke up the fight and dispersed the crowd, said Ali. At around 11:30 pm the same night, the police knocked at Wasim Khan’s door. They reportedly told him he needed to accompany them to the police station to give his statement as a witness.
“The police gathered six of us, all Muslims, including the three of us who had tried calling the 100 helpline number. They said they needed us to give a statement about the fight. It was very late, but we went,” Khan said.
The ordeal
Speaking to The Wire over the phone, Khan’s voice started shaking as he described the ordeal that followed. When they reached the Fatehpur Beri police station, he said, the police seized his phone and three or four policemen took him to a separate room.
“They simply took me aside and started beating me,” said Khan, his voice now cracking. “They beat me with their lathis. Sub-inspector Satender Guliya hit me with his elbows and kept striking a lathi on my back. The other two men, Praveen and Jitend
More on : https://thewire.in/communalism/thra...lice-helpline-muslim-man-needs-spinal-surgery
This is barbaric and too think this was done by the police to a witness. Are Muslims not allowed to call the cops in India?
street cricketer
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Attack on Ganesh temple bhong Sharif Rahim Yar Khan Punjab. Highly condemnable act. Culprits must be arrested and punished strictly.<br>Hindu community is being victimized, they are in leadership of a local religious extremist.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMImranKhan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMImranKhan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ganeshtemple?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ganeshtemple</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/shameful?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#shameful</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/earthquake?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#earthquake</a> <a href="https://t.co/NvxDHZTtTE">pic.twitter.com/NvxDHZTtTE</a></p>— Kapeel Kumar (@kapeel_kumar) <a href="https://twitter.com/kapeel_kumar/status/1422976452207779851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
street cricketer
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Until our part of the world becomes less worked up over religion, it's going to stay in the stone age.
YousafTheBeast
T20I Debutant
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The difference between Pakistan and India is, the culprits in Pakistan will be held in custody whereas in India, the culprit would be hailed as a hero.
street cricketer
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India are definitely on the way to becoming Pakistan with their sudden fetish for hindu fundamentalism. That's for sure.
No outrage, no news coverage and no arrests. Pakistani state should hang its head in shame for repeatedly failing to protect its minorities imo. Will a blasphemy case be filed against these miscreants? I am pretty sure no in my opinion! Because the attackers are Muslims!
Last edited:
King_Kohli
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Mob vandalises Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan
RAHIM YAR KHAN: A video clip of a mob attacking a Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan has gone viral on social media, prompting Prime Minister Imran Khan to take notice of the incident.
As per various reports on social media, the incident took place in village Bhong of Rahim Yar Khan.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill said in a tweet that the PM Office had taken notice of the sad and unfortunate incident.
He said that the prime minister had directed the district administration to probe the matter and take strict action against the culprits.
"Pakistan’s Constitution provides freedom and protection to minorities to perform their worship freely," Dr Gill added.
According to media reports, a mob of over two dozen people vandalised the Sidhi Vinayak temple, MNA Ramesh Kumar Vankwani was quoted as saying.
Mazari said the act was a violation of the Constitution and the basic human rights of Pakistanis. "MoHR in touch with RYK police since yesterday to ensure action ag perpetrators - got report - following up - our Parl Secy going to visit today," she tweeted.
In the video clip, dozens of men armed with sticks can be seen shouting slogans and smashing things into pieces inside the temple.
Human rights activist Kapil Dev urged the minister to do more to tackle Hinduphobia in Pakistan. "Apart from your efforts and energies to curb Islamophobia in the West, you may invest a little to curb Hinduphobia here," he tweeted.
Mob sets ablaze Hindu saint's shrine in KP's Karak
Last year, in December, a frenzied crowd had set ablaze a Hindu saint's shrine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak.
Police said as soon as the incident was reported, officials reached the site and dispersed the mob.
A report by Dawn.com had said that a mob comprising "more than a thousand people", led by local elders of a religious party, launched the attack to remove the temple.
Video clips on social media had shown hordes of people breaking and desecrating the site while chanting slogans. Smoke could also be seen emitting from the shrine after it was reportedly set on fire.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/363586-pm-imran-khan-takes-notice-of-attack-on-hindu-temple-in-rahim-yar-khan
RAHIM YAR KHAN: A video clip of a mob attacking a Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan has gone viral on social media, prompting Prime Minister Imran Khan to take notice of the incident.
As per various reports on social media, the incident took place in village Bhong of Rahim Yar Khan.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill said in a tweet that the PM Office had taken notice of the sad and unfortunate incident.
He said that the prime minister had directed the district administration to probe the matter and take strict action against the culprits.
"Pakistan’s Constitution provides freedom and protection to minorities to perform their worship freely," Dr Gill added.
According to media reports, a mob of over two dozen people vandalised the Sidhi Vinayak temple, MNA Ramesh Kumar Vankwani was quoted as saying.
Mazari said the act was a violation of the Constitution and the basic human rights of Pakistanis. "MoHR in touch with RYK police since yesterday to ensure action ag perpetrators - got report - following up - our Parl Secy going to visit today," she tweeted.
In the video clip, dozens of men armed with sticks can be seen shouting slogans and smashing things into pieces inside the temple.
Human rights activist Kapil Dev urged the minister to do more to tackle Hinduphobia in Pakistan. "Apart from your efforts and energies to curb Islamophobia in the West, you may invest a little to curb Hinduphobia here," he tweeted.
Mob sets ablaze Hindu saint's shrine in KP's Karak
Last year, in December, a frenzied crowd had set ablaze a Hindu saint's shrine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak.
Police said as soon as the incident was reported, officials reached the site and dispersed the mob.
A report by Dawn.com had said that a mob comprising "more than a thousand people", led by local elders of a religious party, launched the attack to remove the temple.
Video clips on social media had shown hordes of people breaking and desecrating the site while chanting slogans. Smoke could also be seen emitting from the shrine after it was reportedly set on fire.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/363586-pm-imran-khan-takes-notice-of-attack-on-hindu-temple-in-rahim-yar-khan
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New Delhi: India has summoned Pakistan's Pakistani Charge d'affaires over the ransacking of a temple in the country. Incidents of violence and persecution against minority communities including attacks on places of worship continue unabated in Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
On Wednesday, a Muslim mob vandalised a Hindu temple in Pakistan’s Punjab province, desecrated the idols and burned down parts of it. The mob attacked the Siddhivinayak temple at Bhong city of Rahim Yar Khan District, around 590 km from Lahore, cops said, in retaliation to the alleged desecration of a Muslim seminary.
The violence was fuelled over a social media post that incited people of Bhong to take revenge for desecration. Later, the mob armed with iron rods, sticks, stones and bricks started gathering outside the temple and attacked it.
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, addressing a press briefing today, said, "Pakistan Charge d'Affaires was summoned and firm protest was lodged expressing grave concerns at this reprehensible incident and attacks on freedom of religion of minority community and their places of worship, calling upon Pakistan to ensure safety, security and well-being of minority communities.
"We've seen disturbing reports on social media of a violent mob attack on a Ganesh temple in Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab, Pakistan. Mob attacked the temple, desecrated holy idols and set fire to premises. The mob also attacked surrounding houses belonging to Hindu community."
He added, "Within the last year itself, various temples and Gurudwaras have been attacked including the Mata Rani Bhatiyani Mandir in Sindh in January 2020, Gurudwara Sri Janam Sthan in January 2020, a Hindu temple in Karak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Dec 2020."
"These incidents are occurring at an alarming rate while the state and security institutions in Pakistan have stood by idly and completely failed in preventing these attacks on the minority communities and their places of worship."
Earlier today, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) International Working President Alok Kumar called Pakistan a "terrorist state" and said that its foreign aid must be curtailed.
https://www.timesnownews.com/india/...e-in-rahim-yar-khan-of-punjab-province/795279
On Wednesday, a Muslim mob vandalised a Hindu temple in Pakistan’s Punjab province, desecrated the idols and burned down parts of it. The mob attacked the Siddhivinayak temple at Bhong city of Rahim Yar Khan District, around 590 km from Lahore, cops said, in retaliation to the alleged desecration of a Muslim seminary.
The violence was fuelled over a social media post that incited people of Bhong to take revenge for desecration. Later, the mob armed with iron rods, sticks, stones and bricks started gathering outside the temple and attacked it.
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, addressing a press briefing today, said, "Pakistan Charge d'Affaires was summoned and firm protest was lodged expressing grave concerns at this reprehensible incident and attacks on freedom of religion of minority community and their places of worship, calling upon Pakistan to ensure safety, security and well-being of minority communities.
"We've seen disturbing reports on social media of a violent mob attack on a Ganesh temple in Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab, Pakistan. Mob attacked the temple, desecrated holy idols and set fire to premises. The mob also attacked surrounding houses belonging to Hindu community."
He added, "Within the last year itself, various temples and Gurudwaras have been attacked including the Mata Rani Bhatiyani Mandir in Sindh in January 2020, Gurudwara Sri Janam Sthan in January 2020, a Hindu temple in Karak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Dec 2020."
"These incidents are occurring at an alarming rate while the state and security institutions in Pakistan have stood by idly and completely failed in preventing these attacks on the minority communities and their places of worship."
Earlier today, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) International Working President Alok Kumar called Pakistan a "terrorist state" and said that its foreign aid must be curtailed.
https://www.timesnownews.com/india/...e-in-rahim-yar-khan-of-punjab-province/795279
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Strongly condemn attack on Ganesh Mandir in Bhung, RYK yesterday. I have already asked IG Punjab to ensure arrest of all culprits & take action against any police negligence. The govt will also restore the Mandir.</p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1423280341167398924?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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ISLAMABAD, Aug 06 (APP): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Friday called for awarding exemplary punishment to those involved in Ganesh Mandir incident in Rahim Yar Khan.
In a media talk, the minister strongly condemning the temple incident said that Pakistan was not India and no fascist ideology could rule here. No one was allowed to hurt sentiments of the Hindu community, he remarked.
He said it was duty of all Pakistanis to respect and sanctify the two colours in the national flag in which white colour represented minorities. The prime minister and the chief justice of Pakistan have taken personal notices of the matter.
Fawad Hussain said that the prime minister, the political and military leadership and the courts wanted to ensure protection of the minorities’ rights as envisaged in the Constitution.
“We must stand up against those who target our Pakistani brothers on the basis of race, colour or creed,” he said.
The minister said that Insha’Allah the future of Pakistan was a progressive country where minorities were completely safe.
In a media talk, the minister strongly condemning the temple incident said that Pakistan was not India and no fascist ideology could rule here. No one was allowed to hurt sentiments of the Hindu community, he remarked.
He said it was duty of all Pakistanis to respect and sanctify the two colours in the national flag in which white colour represented minorities. The prime minister and the chief justice of Pakistan have taken personal notices of the matter.
Fawad Hussain said that the prime minister, the political and military leadership and the courts wanted to ensure protection of the minorities’ rights as envisaged in the Constitution.
“We must stand up against those who target our Pakistani brothers on the basis of race, colour or creed,” he said.
The minister said that Insha’Allah the future of Pakistan was a progressive country where minorities were completely safe.
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RAHIM YAR KHAN: Over 40 individuals have been arrested for their alleged involvement in an attack on a Hindu temple and for blocking the motorway in Rahim Yar Khan.
According to the police, 38 of the detained persons were presented before an anti-terrorism court in Bahawalpur.
Following their appearance in court, the suspects were sent to jail for an identity parade.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed had a day earlier reprimanded the Punjab police chief for failing to take action to safeguard the Hindu temple from the mob in Rahim Yar Khan, directing him to arrest all culprits involved in the incident.
The CJP also ordered the concerned authorities to charge the culprits for the expenses that will be incurred in rebuilding the temple.
On Thursday, a mob comprising over a dozen men armed with sticks, had vandalised a Hindu temple in village Bhong of Rahim Yar Khan, shouting slogans and desecrating idols in the place of worship.
The video clip of the incident went viral on social media, drawing sharp criticism from rights activists in Pakistan.
The clip also prompted Prime Minister Imran Khan to take notice of the incident.
The premier condemned the incident in a Twitter post later that day.
GEO
According to the police, 38 of the detained persons were presented before an anti-terrorism court in Bahawalpur.
Following their appearance in court, the suspects were sent to jail for an identity parade.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed had a day earlier reprimanded the Punjab police chief for failing to take action to safeguard the Hindu temple from the mob in Rahim Yar Khan, directing him to arrest all culprits involved in the incident.
The CJP also ordered the concerned authorities to charge the culprits for the expenses that will be incurred in rebuilding the temple.
On Thursday, a mob comprising over a dozen men armed with sticks, had vandalised a Hindu temple in village Bhong of Rahim Yar Khan, shouting slogans and desecrating idols in the place of worship.
The video clip of the incident went viral on social media, drawing sharp criticism from rights activists in Pakistan.
The clip also prompted Prime Minister Imran Khan to take notice of the incident.
The premier condemned the incident in a Twitter post later that day.
GEO
RYK temple attack background:
A Hindu child, 9 , drank water from a mosque. Upon seeing this, the Imam viciously beat up the child which resulted in him urinating in the mosque out of fear. Later, a blasphemy case was filed against 9-year old child and he was subsequently arrested. A local court released the child on bail which led to an angry mob vandalising the Hindu temple in revenge.
This makes my blood boil! Extremism is a sickness that has permeated every segment of our society!
A Hindu child, 9 , drank water from a mosque. Upon seeing this, the Imam viciously beat up the child which resulted in him urinating in the mosque out of fear. Later, a blasphemy case was filed against 9-year old child and he was subsequently arrested. A local court released the child on bail which led to an angry mob vandalising the Hindu temple in revenge.
This makes my blood boil! Extremism is a sickness that has permeated every segment of our society!
mustang
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The Pakistanis in this forum who pick a random article from an armpit of India, make a generalization, and then claim "aLL of iNDia is liKE tHis aND paKIStan is sooo mUCH beTTer" ...
do they not see the ground realities for minorities in Pakistan with structured legal/constitutional and social discriminations (as opposed to social discriminations in India)? Or have they become so numb to these things that they are oblivious and even a small flare from across the border triggers them? Or are they deliberately ignoring these things for cheap point scoring?
There is no legal avenue for some obscure pandit/imam/priest in India to invoke some archaic blasphemy law and constitutionally murder someone for the sake of personal bias/vendetta. But you can in Pakistan.
If the Indians become stupid enough in the future to amend their constitution to include such laws then it sucks for them. But as of today this heavy imbalance exists between the two countries for their respective minorities. Yet I see so many Pakistanis here coming back with the usual diatribe.
Cpt. Rishwat
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You do realise that the poster you are replying to only ever appears on anti-Pakistan threads right? At least the likes of me and Pakistani posters will turn up and give opinions on these threads as well.
rockyboy2018
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If Pakistan is doing great in any other department then we will talk about that as well.
mustang
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My point is generic and is outside of any perceived trends of the specific poster I responded to. The stark difference in treatment of minorities between Pakistan and India is so apparent not in favor f Pakistan yet many posters here choose to ignore that. They minimize/ignore/trivialize the 800 pound gorilla on their (Pakistan) side and focus on a much smaller issue on the other side along with feeble attempts to exaggerate.
Cpt. Rishwat
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Your point isn't generic though. You yourself are specifically finding fault with those posters criticising India while actually supporting those who are consistently posting anti-Pak propaganda.
mustang
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#1 - I'm not supporting anyone who is anti-Pak. I have been a vocal critic of many things about India as well. Go and look at the history of my posts before making wild claims.
#2 - My post (quoted below) is generic and is irrelevant/independent of whichever poster I was responding to.
Instead of digressing/deviating about whom I quoted or what I have said before, perhaps you can comment on my post (quoted below) for a legitimate discourse instead of "he said, she said" kind of a discussion?
Babar_the_Destroyer
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Irrespective of poster dont you find it disgusting that a 9 freaking yr old is beaten up ,who doesnt have any knowledge about blashphamy,and this is undefendable,no matter if the accuse is muslim,is illitrate or not,matlab kuch bhi,if i remember correctly a 90 yr old person too was beaten by cop as he was eating during ramadan,this is height of sickness i agree nuts are evetywhere but still.
King_Kohli
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Blasphemy case against 9-year old child 
mustang
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None of these will matter for people who have preconceived notions of hating a country/religion/region. All they care about is pointless nuances where for cheap point scoring and fake "gotcha" moments for their egos.
Buffet
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I think it is human nature to feel good about putting down others.
44% of kids are out of school in Pakistan but it is not that big deal to even have a 25-page thread here. I literally can't think of a worse issue than this for future generations.
Post some clickbait article about putting down some religion/region/country, you will get 25-page theads.
mustang
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Man that is sad to hear and you are so right. What is appalling to me is that many arm chair historians here sitting in their comfy first world homes theorize about Pakistan being better off taken over by China, or Pakistan should spend more in military GDP etc.
Pakistan seems to be caught between a rock and a hard place today. Many HDI metrics falling with people losing hope, economy falling with less money to fix the HDI metrics. On top of that there is an aggressive right wing "regime" right next door forcing Pakistan to spend what little money they have into military for self preservation instead of more important social/education needs.
For the common people of Pakistan living in Pakistan (not the UK keyboard warriors) - Aren't you better off just having current LOC in Kashmir as international border, de-escalate things with India, free up some of the money spent in military budget and use it for education and social needs? Is it political suicide for anyone to suggest giving up claims on Indian Kashmir and so people in power keep dishing out the Kashmir Koolaid?
Relevant to this thread - Ill treatment of minorities is higher when there is more social/economic hopelessness for the majority along with a Trump/Modi like hate regime. The regime change is easier and my own country is hopefully course correcting after kicking out the Trumpers. So path to change could be easier for India assuming their economy stays decent and does not plummet to the levels of Pakistan. But Pakistan's path to better socio-economic conditions is tougher through economic changes which means making tough choices about reallocating their fragile budget.
Buffet
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I am very sure that the situation of the world will keep improving despite some setbacks here and there. That includes Pakistan as well. The only issue is that instead of the situation being a lot better in 25 years, it may take 50 years if the focus is not on education.
Look at page 10( Figure 6) of the UNESCO report. It is a world map of out-of-school kids in percentage.
http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default...dren-adolescents-and-youth-are-out-school.pdf
I created a thread on this 6-7 years ago in PP. I don't see a huge change so far in trend. If interested you can take a look at the thread because I shouldn't be highjacking this thread.
http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...school-who-should-be-attending-Primary-school
--------
Simply said, all other discussions are simply dealing with symptoms. There are many nutcases in USA as well, so giving examples of them can be used to paint any picture. But when you have an extremely large number of kids out of school then all other problems are simply a by-product of this main problem. Pakistan should do all it can to not have 30-40% of kids out of school. Even Nepal is below 5% range.
Newspapers should be talking about it every day and rulers should be judged by progress here. I personally don't think that anything else is more important than this. It is not the fault of those kids. You, me, or all other posters could have been born as one of those kids. None of us develop in vaccume.
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mustang
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Well put, that is so true and it is such a damning statistic. Every keyboard warrior yapping on about more fighter jets or missiles to fight against an enemy country (while sending their kids to first world schools mind you) should see this statistic
I would say this is related to this thread. Who are the usual extremists and racists? People who have not had exposure to things outside their sphere and exposure for critical thinking. What is the best way to nurture this in people? Education. You see high percentage of middle-age type constitutional laws and very radicalized outlook because they have either been indoctrinated by a regime (easier to fix) or they lacked education (longer term solution). There is a high correlation between mistreatment of minorities and radical behavior in Pakistan and the lack of education for children. But sadly British Pakistani keyboard warriors will not accept this since it can wound their precious prides.
King_Kohli
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Council of Islamic Ideology condemns mob attack on Hindu temple
ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has condemned the mob attack and desecration of a temple of the Hindu community in Bhong Sharif.
The attack occurred on August 4 but most of the religious groups and religo-political parties have failed to condemn the incident instigated by a local cleric.
In a statement on Monday, the CII said: “Like the lives and property of non-Muslim minorities living in Pakistan, the protection of their places of worship is the legal responsibility of the state.”
The CII said no individual or group can be allowed to damage and harass non-Muslim communities in the country.
“Demolishing any of their religious places of worship is a clear violation of Islamic law and Pakistani law,” the statement said, adding that all perpetrators of this crime must be prosecuted in accordance with law.
The council welcomed the government’s decision to rebuild the demolished temple and praised the chief justice of Pakistan for taking a commendable step which was expected to lead to significant progress in bringing the evil elements to justice.
The CII also lauded the action taken by the Punjab government to arrest the suspects.
The Constitution of Pakistan, in which minorities enjoy religious freedom and all civil rights, has been violated, which the council strongly condemns, the statement said.
The council also said Paigham-i-Pakistan was an important national document which guaranteed the protection of lives and property of all non-Muslim citizens as well as the protection of places of worship. But the attack on the temple has also violated this document, it added.
Meanwhile, a senior member of the National Commission for Minorities said eight such attacks have occurred in the last two years in the country.
“This is a serious issue and despite a proactive approach taken by the government and authorities, mob attacks on temples have increased,” the member said, adding that there was a need to award harsh punishment to those involved in such attacks.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1639787/council-of-islamic-ideology-condemns-mob-attack-on-hindu-temple
ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has condemned the mob attack and desecration of a temple of the Hindu community in Bhong Sharif.
The attack occurred on August 4 but most of the religious groups and religo-political parties have failed to condemn the incident instigated by a local cleric.
In a statement on Monday, the CII said: “Like the lives and property of non-Muslim minorities living in Pakistan, the protection of their places of worship is the legal responsibility of the state.”
The CII said no individual or group can be allowed to damage and harass non-Muslim communities in the country.
“Demolishing any of their religious places of worship is a clear violation of Islamic law and Pakistani law,” the statement said, adding that all perpetrators of this crime must be prosecuted in accordance with law.
The council welcomed the government’s decision to rebuild the demolished temple and praised the chief justice of Pakistan for taking a commendable step which was expected to lead to significant progress in bringing the evil elements to justice.
The CII also lauded the action taken by the Punjab government to arrest the suspects.
The Constitution of Pakistan, in which minorities enjoy religious freedom and all civil rights, has been violated, which the council strongly condemns, the statement said.
The council also said Paigham-i-Pakistan was an important national document which guaranteed the protection of lives and property of all non-Muslim citizens as well as the protection of places of worship. But the attack on the temple has also violated this document, it added.
Meanwhile, a senior member of the National Commission for Minorities said eight such attacks have occurred in the last two years in the country.
“This is a serious issue and despite a proactive approach taken by the government and authorities, mob attacks on temples have increased,” the member said, adding that there was a need to award harsh punishment to those involved in such attacks.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1639787/council-of-islamic-ideology-condemns-mob-attack-on-hindu-temple
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The Hindu temple in Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan has been restored by the local administration and will be open to worshipers soon, say members of the Hindu community.
The 20-year-old temple was vandalized by a mob last week, who broke the interiors as well as the idols (Moortis) placed inside. Following the attack, the local Hindu community also fled the area.
“The Ganesh temple has been restored,” Dharminder Kumar, a journalist and activist who lives in the area, told Geo.tv today, “The only thing left to restore are the broken idols (Moortis), work on which is expected to begin on August 15.”
Besides repairs, a boundary wall has also been constructed outside the temple and plans put in place to provide security to worshippers.
Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack and directed the inspector general police to arrest the culprits. He also promised to restore the temple.
Till now, 70-100 people who vandalized the temple have been arrested, Kumar said.
“But we have seen that in most cases [where temples are attacked], 100 people are arrested but only five people are punished. Those who are usually poor.”
Kumar also added that the Hindu community that left their homes are still afraid to return, fearing another attack.
Over 40 arrested for attack
More than 40 individuals were arrested last week for their alleged involvement in an attack on a Hindu temple and for blocking the motorway in Rahim Yar Khan.
According to the police, 38 of the detained persons were presented before an anti-terrorism court in Bahawalpur.
Following their appearance in court, the suspects were sent to jail for an identity parade.
The police had sprung into action after the Supreme Court took suo moto notice of the incident and directed IG Inam Ghani to take prompt action against the culprits.
GEO
The 20-year-old temple was vandalized by a mob last week, who broke the interiors as well as the idols (Moortis) placed inside. Following the attack, the local Hindu community also fled the area.
“The Ganesh temple has been restored,” Dharminder Kumar, a journalist and activist who lives in the area, told Geo.tv today, “The only thing left to restore are the broken idols (Moortis), work on which is expected to begin on August 15.”
Besides repairs, a boundary wall has also been constructed outside the temple and plans put in place to provide security to worshippers.
Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack and directed the inspector general police to arrest the culprits. He also promised to restore the temple.
Till now, 70-100 people who vandalized the temple have been arrested, Kumar said.
“But we have seen that in most cases [where temples are attacked], 100 people are arrested but only five people are punished. Those who are usually poor.”
Kumar also added that the Hindu community that left their homes are still afraid to return, fearing another attack.
Over 40 arrested for attack
More than 40 individuals were arrested last week for their alleged involvement in an attack on a Hindu temple and for blocking the motorway in Rahim Yar Khan.
According to the police, 38 of the detained persons were presented before an anti-terrorism court in Bahawalpur.
Following their appearance in court, the suspects were sent to jail for an identity parade.
The police had sprung into action after the Supreme Court took suo moto notice of the incident and directed IG Inam Ghani to take prompt action against the culprits.
GEO
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ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court issued on Friday an order to clear the Katcha area in Rahim Yar Khan of dacoits during a hearing of the suo motu case on the attack at a Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan last week.
Last week, over a dozen men, armed with sticks, had vandalised a Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan, shouting slogans and desecrating idols in the place of worship. The video clip of the incident went viral on social media, drawing sharp criticism from rights activists in Pakistan.
The Rahim Yar Khan temple attack suo motu notice hearing was headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed.
During the hearing on Friday, the court expressed frustration with the concerned authorities for arresting an 8-year-old after the attack and ordered that action be taken against the SHO who arrested the child.
GEO
Last week, over a dozen men, armed with sticks, had vandalised a Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan, shouting slogans and desecrating idols in the place of worship. The video clip of the incident went viral on social media, drawing sharp criticism from rights activists in Pakistan.
The Rahim Yar Khan temple attack suo motu notice hearing was headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed.
During the hearing on Friday, the court expressed frustration with the concerned authorities for arresting an 8-year-old after the attack and ordered that action be taken against the SHO who arrested the child.
GEO
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Unidentified assailants shot dead a hakim (physician) belonging to the Sikh community on Charsadda road in Peshawar on Thursday.
According to the police, the attackers barged into the clinic of Satnam Singh and shot at him four times. He was rushed to the provincial capital's Lady Reading Hospital in an injured condition where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The police further stated that the physician had arrived in Peshawar from Hassan Abdaal a day earlier.
Meanwhile, the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar said that the case was being investigated.
In July, an Assistant Director of Peshawar Development Authority, Junaid Akbar, was gunned down by unknown miscreants in the district.
According to the brother of the deceased, he was fired upon as soon as he left home to buy something.
Junaid Akbar had a Phd from University of Engineering, Peshawar, and was working as Assistant Director, PDA. He was engaged and the family was giving final touches to his marriage preparations.
Earlier this month, a policeman deployed for the security of the anti-polio team was also shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Kohat city of the province.
Unidentified individuals opened fire on the anti-polio team in Dhal Behzadi district of Kohat and fled.
The attackers managed to escape unchallenged after committing the crime. They also took away his AK-47 rifle.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2322677/unidentified-attackers-gun-down-sikh-hakim-in-peshawar
According to the police, the attackers barged into the clinic of Satnam Singh and shot at him four times. He was rushed to the provincial capital's Lady Reading Hospital in an injured condition where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The police further stated that the physician had arrived in Peshawar from Hassan Abdaal a day earlier.
Meanwhile, the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar said that the case was being investigated.
In July, an Assistant Director of Peshawar Development Authority, Junaid Akbar, was gunned down by unknown miscreants in the district.
According to the brother of the deceased, he was fired upon as soon as he left home to buy something.
Junaid Akbar had a Phd from University of Engineering, Peshawar, and was working as Assistant Director, PDA. He was engaged and the family was giving final touches to his marriage preparations.
Earlier this month, a policeman deployed for the security of the anti-polio team was also shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Kohat city of the province.
Unidentified individuals opened fire on the anti-polio team in Dhal Behzadi district of Kohat and fled.
The attackers managed to escape unchallenged after committing the crime. They also took away his AK-47 rifle.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2322677/unidentified-attackers-gun-down-sikh-hakim-in-peshawar
Rinnegan Sasuke
Tape Ball Star
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- Mar 19, 2016
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- 943
Parliamentary panel rejects anti-forced conversion bill amid protest by minorities’ lawmakers
A parliamentary committee on Wednesday rejected the anti-forced conversion bill after the Ministry of Religious Affairs opposed the proposed law while lawmakers from minority communities protested the decision.
The bill came under discussion during a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee to Protect Minorities from Forced Conversions, where Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri said the "environment is unfavourable" for formulating a law against forced conversions.
He warned that forming a law on forced conversions would deteriorate peace in the country and "create further problems for minorities". "They (the minorities) will be made more vulnerable," the minister said.
Stating that the provincial governments, the National Assembly speaker and the Prime Minister's Office may take other measures to end forced conversions, he reiterated that legislation on the matter could lead to a melee.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said the issue of forced conversions had already been raised before the prime minister, who had formed a special parliamentary committee on the matter.
"We are serious about [addressing] the problem of forced conversions," he said. He added that the law on the subject, however, was to be formed to address the issue "and not for getting appreciation from an international organisation or a non-governmental organisation".
He further stated that legislation on the subject was being opposed as setting an age limit with regards to forced conversions "goes against Islam and the Constitution of Pakistan".
The minister informed the committee that Law Minister Farogh Naseem had called him to his office and cautioned him against legislating on the matter, terming the move "dangerous".
"He (Naseem) said to me that [being given] ministries is of little value as they come and go, but we should not go against Islam," Khan added.
Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmed also opposed the bill, denying that the problem of forced conversions existed in Pakistan. "This bill is anti-Islam," he remarked.
Criticising the government for proposing the law in the first place, the senator said, "It is due to the incumbent government's wrong policies and neglect that not just Pakistan, but the entire Muslim world and minorities are also facing difficulties."
The opposition to the bill irked PTI MNA Lal Chand Malhi, who said the remarks by the ministers who had spoken earlier gave the impression that forced conversions were not a problem in Pakistan.
"You are cornering minorities and such decisions [rejecting the bill] will make life a living hell for minorities in this country," he said.
Malhi claimed that the bill had not been rejected by the Ministry of Religious Affairs or the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) but had been dismissed on the instructions of Mian Mithu. Mithu, the pir of Bharchundi Sharif, has been blamed for the alleged forced conversions of Hindu girls in rural Sindh.
In response to allegations by Malhi, Khan accused him of making false and political statements.
An angry Senator Ahmed added, "No matter what happens, we will not allow anyone to go against Islam."
Another committee member, Maulvi Faiz Ahmed, also said the bill was against Islam and Shariah. "And we will not allow any legislation in this country that is against Islam," he added.
This led to a protest by members from minority communities, who decried that young people from their communities were being kidnapped in broad daylight and forcibly converted to Islam, while also lamenting the fact that Muslim members had taken the stance that forced conversion was not a problem in Pakistan.
PTI lawmaker Ramesh Kumar said that while they were not opposing willful conversions, many Hindus were promised money and marriages in order to lure them into converting to Islam.
"And when they are not given what they are promised, they return home. This means that they did not convert of their own free will," he added.
He went on to say that opposing legislation against forced conversion indicated that the "government is worried about [the reaction by] elements involved" in the problem.
Clerics had expressed reservations over the bill in August, calling it a conspiracy and suggesting that the government should not fall into the trap of the West by taking it to parliament.
At a meeting, chaired by Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairperson Dr Qibla Ayaz, they had reviewed the draft bill and objected to several clauses, including the minimum age of conversion.
Draft bill
A copy of the draft bill, which is available with Dawn, shows that any non-Muslim, who is not a child, and is able and willing to convert to another religion will apply for a conversion certificate from an additional sessions judge of the area where he or she is residing.
The draft law highlights that the application will have to include the name of a non-Muslim who is willing to change the religion, age and gender, CNIC number, details of parents, siblings, children and spouse (if any), current religion and the reason to convert to the new religion.
The draft law states that the additional sessions judge will set a date for interview within seven days of receipt of an application for conversion, and on the date the judge will ensure that the conversion is not under any duress and not due to any deceit or fraudulent misrepresentation.
The proposed law states that the “Judge may award a time period of 90 days to the non-Muslim to undertake a comparative study of the religions and return to the office of the Additional Sessions Judge.”
After satisfaction, the judge will issue the certificate of change of religion.
The proposed law also awards punishment between five to 10 years and a fine from Rs100,000 to Rs200,000 to any person who uses criminal force to convert a person to another religion.
While any person who is an abettor to a forced conversion will be liable to imprisonment from three to five years and a fine of Rs100,000.
It has been highlighted that the age of the person willing to convert his/her religion will be determined by either the child’s birth certificate, or school enrolment certificate, or Nadra B-Form.
“Only in the absence of such forms the child’s age may be determined on the basis of a medical examination,” the draft added.
The proposed law also states that the case of forced conversion will have to be disposed of within 90 days by the court, while appeal against a conviction or acquittal of an offence under this Act can be presented before the respective high court within ten days from the date on which copy of the order passed by the Court of Session is supplied to the appellant.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1651813/p...ion-bill-amid-protest-by-minorities-lawmakers
A parliamentary committee on Wednesday rejected the anti-forced conversion bill after the Ministry of Religious Affairs opposed the proposed law while lawmakers from minority communities protested the decision.
The bill came under discussion during a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee to Protect Minorities from Forced Conversions, where Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri said the "environment is unfavourable" for formulating a law against forced conversions.
He warned that forming a law on forced conversions would deteriorate peace in the country and "create further problems for minorities". "They (the minorities) will be made more vulnerable," the minister said.
Stating that the provincial governments, the National Assembly speaker and the Prime Minister's Office may take other measures to end forced conversions, he reiterated that legislation on the matter could lead to a melee.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said the issue of forced conversions had already been raised before the prime minister, who had formed a special parliamentary committee on the matter.
"We are serious about [addressing] the problem of forced conversions," he said. He added that the law on the subject, however, was to be formed to address the issue "and not for getting appreciation from an international organisation or a non-governmental organisation".
He further stated that legislation on the subject was being opposed as setting an age limit with regards to forced conversions "goes against Islam and the Constitution of Pakistan".
The minister informed the committee that Law Minister Farogh Naseem had called him to his office and cautioned him against legislating on the matter, terming the move "dangerous".
"He (Naseem) said to me that [being given] ministries is of little value as they come and go, but we should not go against Islam," Khan added.
Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmed also opposed the bill, denying that the problem of forced conversions existed in Pakistan. "This bill is anti-Islam," he remarked.
Criticising the government for proposing the law in the first place, the senator said, "It is due to the incumbent government's wrong policies and neglect that not just Pakistan, but the entire Muslim world and minorities are also facing difficulties."
The opposition to the bill irked PTI MNA Lal Chand Malhi, who said the remarks by the ministers who had spoken earlier gave the impression that forced conversions were not a problem in Pakistan.
"You are cornering minorities and such decisions [rejecting the bill] will make life a living hell for minorities in this country," he said.
Malhi claimed that the bill had not been rejected by the Ministry of Religious Affairs or the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) but had been dismissed on the instructions of Mian Mithu. Mithu, the pir of Bharchundi Sharif, has been blamed for the alleged forced conversions of Hindu girls in rural Sindh.
In response to allegations by Malhi, Khan accused him of making false and political statements.
An angry Senator Ahmed added, "No matter what happens, we will not allow anyone to go against Islam."
Another committee member, Maulvi Faiz Ahmed, also said the bill was against Islam and Shariah. "And we will not allow any legislation in this country that is against Islam," he added.
This led to a protest by members from minority communities, who decried that young people from their communities were being kidnapped in broad daylight and forcibly converted to Islam, while also lamenting the fact that Muslim members had taken the stance that forced conversion was not a problem in Pakistan.
PTI lawmaker Ramesh Kumar said that while they were not opposing willful conversions, many Hindus were promised money and marriages in order to lure them into converting to Islam.
"And when they are not given what they are promised, they return home. This means that they did not convert of their own free will," he added.
He went on to say that opposing legislation against forced conversion indicated that the "government is worried about [the reaction by] elements involved" in the problem.
Clerics had expressed reservations over the bill in August, calling it a conspiracy and suggesting that the government should not fall into the trap of the West by taking it to parliament.
At a meeting, chaired by Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairperson Dr Qibla Ayaz, they had reviewed the draft bill and objected to several clauses, including the minimum age of conversion.
Draft bill
A copy of the draft bill, which is available with Dawn, shows that any non-Muslim, who is not a child, and is able and willing to convert to another religion will apply for a conversion certificate from an additional sessions judge of the area where he or she is residing.
The draft law highlights that the application will have to include the name of a non-Muslim who is willing to change the religion, age and gender, CNIC number, details of parents, siblings, children and spouse (if any), current religion and the reason to convert to the new religion.
The draft law states that the additional sessions judge will set a date for interview within seven days of receipt of an application for conversion, and on the date the judge will ensure that the conversion is not under any duress and not due to any deceit or fraudulent misrepresentation.
The proposed law states that the “Judge may award a time period of 90 days to the non-Muslim to undertake a comparative study of the religions and return to the office of the Additional Sessions Judge.”
After satisfaction, the judge will issue the certificate of change of religion.
The proposed law also awards punishment between five to 10 years and a fine from Rs100,000 to Rs200,000 to any person who uses criminal force to convert a person to another religion.
While any person who is an abettor to a forced conversion will be liable to imprisonment from three to five years and a fine of Rs100,000.
It has been highlighted that the age of the person willing to convert his/her religion will be determined by either the child’s birth certificate, or school enrolment certificate, or Nadra B-Form.
“Only in the absence of such forms the child’s age may be determined on the basis of a medical examination,” the draft added.
The proposed law also states that the case of forced conversion will have to be disposed of within 90 days by the court, while appeal against a conviction or acquittal of an offence under this Act can be presented before the respective high court within ten days from the date on which copy of the order passed by the Court of Session is supplied to the appellant.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1651813/p...ion-bill-amid-protest-by-minorities-lawmakers
^ The bill was rejected upon the direct orders of Imran Khan. All forced conversions from now on should be blamed on Imran Khan. The biggest mistake in my life was to support Imran Khan and PTI. Our PM is a known extremist and a terror sympathiser.
mustang
Tape Ball Star
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- 650
Will 'show Modi govt how to treat minorities'
I think Imran Khan made that statement in 2018 (please correct me if that is wrong). It seemed like an impressive bold claim then and Imran has had 3 years since then to walk his talk. Has he delivered what he had promised? Is Pakistan now proving itself to be an example among developing nations for how to treat minorities?
I think Imran Khan made that statement in 2018 (please correct me if that is wrong). It seemed like an impressive bold claim then and Imran has had 3 years since then to walk his talk. Has he delivered what he had promised? Is Pakistan now proving itself to be an example among developing nations for how to treat minorities?
He has absolutely failed! He called the persecuted Hazaras of trying to blackmail after they asked Imran Khan to visit them after yet another attack on them. He has refused to condemn killings of Ahmedis, Hindus and Christians. He never mentions Pakistani minorities and the misuse of blasphemy law against minority Christians and Hindus in his speeches and he put forced conversion bill on hold. All in all, he is a man who is all talk, zero action.
That was always a marketing gimmick. I know many posters here truly believe that minorities particularly Muslims are living a wretched life but that does not change the facts on ground. Discrimination exists in Indian society and we are far from an ideal society specially in North, Central and South. But Imran has diluted his entire persona in front of a serious audience by going on a rhetoric at every opportunity against Modi and India. Modi and his party has enough inhouse and global critics for right reasons , but Imran's words have only caused more damage to his acceptance as a serious leader, infact serious critics of Modi actually laugh out loud when they see what Imran says and then compare the results on ground.
This is the difference between them. As I have always said, Imran is an ATG cricketer but not a seasoned politician like Modi. The former's mindset is still as a cricket captain where it is mostly to play to the galleries. The focus is more on showing to Modi govt/India how it is done rather than actually doing it. Its a typical sportsperson competitive mentality. Modi on the other hand don't care about showing off in front of Pakistan, China or USA. He has a list in front of him known as election mandate on which people voted for him and he is just fulfilling them one by one like a checklist. Is he being successful in all of them? A big no. But is the genuine effort being made - Thumbs up!
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- Oct 2, 2004
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- 217,977
Are you aware of what Modi showed Muslims in Gujarat?
Supreme court and SIT committee couldn't find a shred of evidence against Modi for Gujarat riots. Unless you are aware of something that Supreme court of India does not?
What I am aware though that Muslims burned down a train full of Hindu pilgrims in Godhra station which sparked those riots. Not justifying the riots that followed but the muslims there were not innocent either.
transparent opacity
Tape Ball Star
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- 940
Unlike India, Pakistani nation stands united against extremism: Fawad
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has appreciated the nation’s collective response to the Sialkot lynching incident, saying that people belonging to all walks of life unanimously condemned the brutal killing of foreign national.
“[Our reaction] shows that we are very different from India and other countries where such incidents take place on a regular basis,” said the minister while addressing the media following the federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Last week, Sri Lankan citizen Priyantha Kumara employed as an exports manager at a factory in Sialkot was brutally lynched before being set ablaze by a mob over blasphemy allegations.
Fawad said hate crime incidents of religious nature frequently take place in India against Muslims and other minorities but their government does not take any action to stop them.
The minister quoted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement that the entire country condemned the Sialkot tragedy unequivocally “like it united against Army Public School (APS) carnage”.
During a condolence reference held at the Prime Minister’s Office for Sri Lankan national Kumara earlier today, Premier Imran said the government will not tolerate violence in the name of religion and those who commit such acts will not be spared by the authorities.
While responding to a question, Fawad appreciated hidden singing talent of PML-N leaders Hamza Shehbaz and Maryam Nawaz, who were seen singing during wedding celebrations of the latter’s son in videos that went viral on social media.
“It’s perfectly okay… normal Pakistan is like this and its part of our culture to sing during private gatherings or festivities,” Fawad said while praising the opposition leaders.
“We only have political difference with them [PML-N]... our only concern is that they should not fund weddings through our [nation’s] money and return the [looted] wealth,” he added.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/233286...-nation-stands-united-against-extremism-fawad
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has appreciated the nation’s collective response to the Sialkot lynching incident, saying that people belonging to all walks of life unanimously condemned the brutal killing of foreign national.
“[Our reaction] shows that we are very different from India and other countries where such incidents take place on a regular basis,” said the minister while addressing the media following the federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Last week, Sri Lankan citizen Priyantha Kumara employed as an exports manager at a factory in Sialkot was brutally lynched before being set ablaze by a mob over blasphemy allegations.
Fawad said hate crime incidents of religious nature frequently take place in India against Muslims and other minorities but their government does not take any action to stop them.
The minister quoted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement that the entire country condemned the Sialkot tragedy unequivocally “like it united against Army Public School (APS) carnage”.
During a condolence reference held at the Prime Minister’s Office for Sri Lankan national Kumara earlier today, Premier Imran said the government will not tolerate violence in the name of religion and those who commit such acts will not be spared by the authorities.
While responding to a question, Fawad appreciated hidden singing talent of PML-N leaders Hamza Shehbaz and Maryam Nawaz, who were seen singing during wedding celebrations of the latter’s son in videos that went viral on social media.
“It’s perfectly okay… normal Pakistan is like this and its part of our culture to sing during private gatherings or festivities,” Fawad said while praising the opposition leaders.
“We only have political difference with them [PML-N]... our only concern is that they should not fund weddings through our [nation’s] money and return the [looted] wealth,” he added.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/233286...-nation-stands-united-against-extremism-fawad
street cricketer
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"We will never defend mob lynchings. We will only ask for the due process to be followed whereby the accused can be tried under the blasphemy law for the death penalty by the state."
mustang
Tape Ball Star
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- 650
He actually said this?
JaDed
Test Star
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- May 5, 2014
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- 39,065
I keep hearing from Pak posters how India doesn’t matter to Pakistani ministers , yet even here where the incident completely doesn’t concern India , the country is being mentioned.
Some have started believing their own false rhetoric. That is why they are extremely surprised when rest of the world reacts differently.
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- Oct 2, 2004
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- 217,977
The Federal government announced advanced salaries for all its Christian employees. The announcement comes as the Christian community’s biggest religious festival Christmas nears.
According to details, the finance ministry said it will afford advance salary payments to all Christians. It will also ensure the provision of pensions to its retired Christian workforce, both by December 20.
Regarding this, the accountant general of Pakistan, military accountant general, chief accounts officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will disburse advance salaries to the Christian community.
Needless to say, this is a welcoming initiative as it will help the Christian community celebrate Christmas with ease. To clarify, Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.
Important to note, the government of Pakistan fully extends support to minorities. On several occasions, it reiterated that the provision of basic rights to minorities is a government priority. The PTI government also took various steps to uplift the minorities, since they make up an important part of Pakistan.
Last month, CM Buzdaar announced to fill vacant posts for minorities under the 5 percent quota. As a result, the government collected necessary data from provincial government departments and directed the human rights & minorities affairs department to take early action in this regard. Moreover, minorities’ cells have been established in 40 departments along with the nomination of focal persons.
Additionally, every year the government felicitates the minorities on their religious festivals. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Imran Khan wished a happy Easter to the Christian community. On his Twitter handle, the prime minister posted, “Wishing all our Christian citizens a happy Easter”.
Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood also took to Twitter on the occasion. “To all my Christian friends. Happy Easter,” he wrote. “May this day bring great joy to you and your families,” he added.
Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi also felicitated the Christian community of the world, especially Pakistan. In a statement, the foreign minister said that the Christian community living in Pakistan has rendered sacrifices for the country.
https://www.globalvillagespace.com/govt-takes-big-decision-for-christian-employees/
According to details, the finance ministry said it will afford advance salary payments to all Christians. It will also ensure the provision of pensions to its retired Christian workforce, both by December 20.
Regarding this, the accountant general of Pakistan, military accountant general, chief accounts officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will disburse advance salaries to the Christian community.
Needless to say, this is a welcoming initiative as it will help the Christian community celebrate Christmas with ease. To clarify, Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.
Important to note, the government of Pakistan fully extends support to minorities. On several occasions, it reiterated that the provision of basic rights to minorities is a government priority. The PTI government also took various steps to uplift the minorities, since they make up an important part of Pakistan.
Last month, CM Buzdaar announced to fill vacant posts for minorities under the 5 percent quota. As a result, the government collected necessary data from provincial government departments and directed the human rights & minorities affairs department to take early action in this regard. Moreover, minorities’ cells have been established in 40 departments along with the nomination of focal persons.
Additionally, every year the government felicitates the minorities on their religious festivals. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Imran Khan wished a happy Easter to the Christian community. On his Twitter handle, the prime minister posted, “Wishing all our Christian citizens a happy Easter”.
Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood also took to Twitter on the occasion. “To all my Christian friends. Happy Easter,” he wrote. “May this day bring great joy to you and your families,” he added.
Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi also felicitated the Christian community of the world, especially Pakistan. In a statement, the foreign minister said that the Christian community living in Pakistan has rendered sacrifices for the country.
https://www.globalvillagespace.com/govt-takes-big-decision-for-christian-employees/
transparent opacity
Tape Ball Star
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- Oct 5, 2019
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- 940
UK govt’s misleading tweet on Pakistan draws fire
ISLAMABAD:
Co-chair of All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pakistan Yasmin Qureshi MP has asked the British government to amend its misleading tweet which had wrongly likened the sanctions on the Myanmar military and a Pakistani individual for their human rights violations.
On International Human Rights Day (December 10), the UK announced new sanctions against the Myanmar military for their “continued suppression of the civilian population and for serious human rights violations.”
The UK had also sanctioned a former commander in the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, who helped orchestrate a 2017 bombing in Pakistan.
However, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) tweeted the subject with a headline “New UK sanctions to target human rights violations and abuses in Myanmar and Pakistan”.
In a letter to UK’s Minister of State for Asia at FCDO Amanda Milling, Yasmin Qureshi MP, though welcomed the sanctions imposed on Furqan Bangalzai who helped to orchestrate a bombing in Pakistan.
“I am however disappointed to see that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office tweeted: “New UK Sanctions to target Human Rights violations and abuses in Myanmar and Pakistan.”
She explained that the extent of sanctions imposed on Myanmar could not in any way be likened to those imposed on an individual member of a terrorist organisation that happened to be based in Pakistan.
“Why then does this tweet suggest that Pakistan has been sanctioned for human rights violations? In doing so it has created a misleading, clickbait headline that is deeply harmful to Pakistan’s reputation and has caused concern amongst its diaspora community here in the UK,” she commented.
Yasmin Qureshi said that a government department had a responsibility to ensure that its messaging was accurate, fair, and balanced.
“I therefore ask that you amend this tweet to ensure there are two individual tweets, that each clarify the very different set of circumstances – specifically that it is ‘Bangalzai’ who has been sanctioned and not Pakistan,” the parliamentarian explained.
She also welcomed the announcement to impose sanctions on four departments of the of the Myanmar military.
“These sanctions demonstrate the UK’s staunch commitment to hold Myanmar’s military accountable for human rights violations and Britain’s resolve to act, together with partners, to limit its access to arms, equipment, and funding.
She said that was particularly important given Myanmar’s recent history and involvement in the genocide of Rohingya Muslims.
According to a UK Government’s statement, “The individual designated under the Global Human Rights Sanctions regime today is: Furqan Bangalzai, a former commander in the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, for his role in the 2017 bombing of the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, Pakistan which killed 70 people.”
“Today’s announcement ensures this individual cannot freely travel to the UK, channel money through UK banks or profit from the UK economy,” the statement explained.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2333710/uk-govts-misleading-tweet-on-pakistan-draws-fire
ISLAMABAD:
Co-chair of All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pakistan Yasmin Qureshi MP has asked the British government to amend its misleading tweet which had wrongly likened the sanctions on the Myanmar military and a Pakistani individual for their human rights violations.
On International Human Rights Day (December 10), the UK announced new sanctions against the Myanmar military for their “continued suppression of the civilian population and for serious human rights violations.”
The UK had also sanctioned a former commander in the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, who helped orchestrate a 2017 bombing in Pakistan.
However, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) tweeted the subject with a headline “New UK sanctions to target human rights violations and abuses in Myanmar and Pakistan”.
In a letter to UK’s Minister of State for Asia at FCDO Amanda Milling, Yasmin Qureshi MP, though welcomed the sanctions imposed on Furqan Bangalzai who helped to orchestrate a bombing in Pakistan.
“I am however disappointed to see that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office tweeted: “New UK Sanctions to target Human Rights violations and abuses in Myanmar and Pakistan.”
She explained that the extent of sanctions imposed on Myanmar could not in any way be likened to those imposed on an individual member of a terrorist organisation that happened to be based in Pakistan.
“Why then does this tweet suggest that Pakistan has been sanctioned for human rights violations? In doing so it has created a misleading, clickbait headline that is deeply harmful to Pakistan’s reputation and has caused concern amongst its diaspora community here in the UK,” she commented.
Yasmin Qureshi said that a government department had a responsibility to ensure that its messaging was accurate, fair, and balanced.
“I therefore ask that you amend this tweet to ensure there are two individual tweets, that each clarify the very different set of circumstances – specifically that it is ‘Bangalzai’ who has been sanctioned and not Pakistan,” the parliamentarian explained.
She also welcomed the announcement to impose sanctions on four departments of the of the Myanmar military.
“These sanctions demonstrate the UK’s staunch commitment to hold Myanmar’s military accountable for human rights violations and Britain’s resolve to act, together with partners, to limit its access to arms, equipment, and funding.
She said that was particularly important given Myanmar’s recent history and involvement in the genocide of Rohingya Muslims.
According to a UK Government’s statement, “The individual designated under the Global Human Rights Sanctions regime today is: Furqan Bangalzai, a former commander in the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, for his role in the 2017 bombing of the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, Pakistan which killed 70 people.”
“Today’s announcement ensures this individual cannot freely travel to the UK, channel money through UK banks or profit from the UK economy,” the statement explained.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2333710/uk-govts-misleading-tweet-on-pakistan-draws-fire
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,977
The Indian government must take steps to ensure a safe environment for minorities in the country, community leaders say.
On Minorities Rights Day in India, which is being observed Saturday, representatives of minority communities also allege that the government has failed to bring an end to attacks on minorities.
According to the last census held in 2011, the number of minorities in the country is about 19.3% of the total population. Of late, there has been an increase in attacks against minorities in India, especially Muslims.
"There are many forces that are anti-minority, and now particularly religious minorities are facing a threat. Organizations and individuals are being threatened by Hindutva groups, and the problem is aggravating. The unusual thing now is (such) attacks are no longer considered a crime. Rather, it has become a norm," Niyaz Farooqui, secretary of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, India's largest socio-religious Muslim organization, told Anadolu Agency.
"The authorities are not acting very tough against these groups, and that is why we are seeing the situation is aggravating," Farooqui said, adding: "There is fear among other minorities as well. Even Dalits (who are at the bottom of the Hindu caste system) are facing a tough time, as well."
Elias Vaz, vice president of the All India Catholic Union, a federation of Catholic associations in the country, said a "very small number of people are trying to disturb the nation's social fabric.”
"They are trying to disturb the idea of India because of their selfish reasons for power. The nation will overcome all these glitches that we are facing at this moment," he told Anadolu Agency.
"India is a country with diversity, so everyone has their own space in the nation and it is built upon various diverse cultures. Now it is a very small number of people who are trying to disturb the idea for everybody."
In October, three nonprofit groups released a report stating that over 300 incidents of violence targeting the Christian community were reported this year.
Vaz further noted that in many places, the government has failed to fulfill its duty to protect minorities.
"I think it is a temporary thing. India has survived in the past, and it will survive as a nation," he said.
Rising fear
Many leaders in the country also say that over the years, fear among minorities has increased.
"The fear among minorities over the years has increased. They (government) are not taking steps, apparently because of the vote bank. The Indian government needs to look at all the people equally," Prem Singh Chandumajra, a senior leader of Shiromani Akali Dal, a Sikh-focused political party in India, told Anadolu Agency.
According to a February 2021 report by Human Rights Watch, "prejudices embedded in the government of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have infiltrated independent institutions ... empowering nationalist groups to threaten, harass and attack religious minorities with impunity."
The ruling BJP, however, has rejected the allegations and claims to be protecting the rights of all citizens and minorities.
Community representatives also say that the majority of the people who do not want such things to continue should raise their voices against these incidents.
"The 90% of the people in India who are not supporting this have to wake up and make the government understand that -- dividing in the name of religion is not in the interest of the nation," said Viz.
Niyaz Farooqui also agrees.
"The government must perform its duty in the interest of our country to protect the minorities. I think to get the advantage in the electoral battles, they are not taking action which is required," he said.
'Minorites totally safe'
While India's Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was not available for comment, the chairman of the government-setup National Commission for Minorities, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, told Anadolu Agency that minorities are safe in the country.
"They are totally safe in India, and no atrocities are being committed. But of course, there are certain complaints which we are receiving of discrimination, in property or in jobs ... we are addressing them," he said.
Lalpura also accepts that there are some incidents which "take place on the basis of religion."
"But we are trying to organize interfaith coordination committees so that we can talk to each other and we can sort out the matters. We are working on it," he said.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/233466...-assurance-of-safety-from-indian-government-1
On Minorities Rights Day in India, which is being observed Saturday, representatives of minority communities also allege that the government has failed to bring an end to attacks on minorities.
According to the last census held in 2011, the number of minorities in the country is about 19.3% of the total population. Of late, there has been an increase in attacks against minorities in India, especially Muslims.
"There are many forces that are anti-minority, and now particularly religious minorities are facing a threat. Organizations and individuals are being threatened by Hindutva groups, and the problem is aggravating. The unusual thing now is (such) attacks are no longer considered a crime. Rather, it has become a norm," Niyaz Farooqui, secretary of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, India's largest socio-religious Muslim organization, told Anadolu Agency.
"The authorities are not acting very tough against these groups, and that is why we are seeing the situation is aggravating," Farooqui said, adding: "There is fear among other minorities as well. Even Dalits (who are at the bottom of the Hindu caste system) are facing a tough time, as well."
Elias Vaz, vice president of the All India Catholic Union, a federation of Catholic associations in the country, said a "very small number of people are trying to disturb the nation's social fabric.”
"They are trying to disturb the idea of India because of their selfish reasons for power. The nation will overcome all these glitches that we are facing at this moment," he told Anadolu Agency.
"India is a country with diversity, so everyone has their own space in the nation and it is built upon various diverse cultures. Now it is a very small number of people who are trying to disturb the idea for everybody."
In October, three nonprofit groups released a report stating that over 300 incidents of violence targeting the Christian community were reported this year.
Vaz further noted that in many places, the government has failed to fulfill its duty to protect minorities.
"I think it is a temporary thing. India has survived in the past, and it will survive as a nation," he said.
Rising fear
Many leaders in the country also say that over the years, fear among minorities has increased.
"The fear among minorities over the years has increased. They (government) are not taking steps, apparently because of the vote bank. The Indian government needs to look at all the people equally," Prem Singh Chandumajra, a senior leader of Shiromani Akali Dal, a Sikh-focused political party in India, told Anadolu Agency.
According to a February 2021 report by Human Rights Watch, "prejudices embedded in the government of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have infiltrated independent institutions ... empowering nationalist groups to threaten, harass and attack religious minorities with impunity."
The ruling BJP, however, has rejected the allegations and claims to be protecting the rights of all citizens and minorities.
Community representatives also say that the majority of the people who do not want such things to continue should raise their voices against these incidents.
"The 90% of the people in India who are not supporting this have to wake up and make the government understand that -- dividing in the name of religion is not in the interest of the nation," said Viz.
Niyaz Farooqui also agrees.
"The government must perform its duty in the interest of our country to protect the minorities. I think to get the advantage in the electoral battles, they are not taking action which is required," he said.
'Minorites totally safe'
While India's Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was not available for comment, the chairman of the government-setup National Commission for Minorities, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, told Anadolu Agency that minorities are safe in the country.
"They are totally safe in India, and no atrocities are being committed. But of course, there are certain complaints which we are receiving of discrimination, in property or in jobs ... we are addressing them," he said.
Lalpura also accepts that there are some incidents which "take place on the basis of religion."
"But we are trying to organize interfaith coordination committees so that we can talk to each other and we can sort out the matters. We are working on it," he said.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/233466...-assurance-of-safety-from-indian-government-1
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- Oct 2, 2004
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Karachi: In Pakistan's Karachi, a man was arrested on Monday for breaking into and vandalising a Hindu temple.
According to Pakistani Urdu language news network Samaa TV, the man entered a Hindu temple in Karachi's Ranchore Line area in the evening and damaged a statue of Hindu god Jog Maya with a hammer.
Later, the public apprehended the accused and handed him over to local police. Media reports claim the accused was booked under sections dealing with blasphemy.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa of the Bharatiya Janata Party condemned the incident, calling it a "state-backed terror against minorities".
"Another Hindu temple desecrated in Ranchore line, Karachi Pakistan Attackers justified vandalism saying 'Temple is unworthy of being a place of worship'. This is state-backed terror against minorities of Pakistan," tweeted Sirsa.
In another tweet, Sirsa urged External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar "to raise this issue at global level to support the freedom of religion of Hindus/Sikhs across the border".
"Minorities in Pakistan are distressed with such continued attack on their faith while the Pak Govt chooses to stay mute over such harassment," added Sirsa.
An unidentified group of thieves had desecrated Hanuman Devi Mata Mandir in Sindh province earlier in October. Cash and jewellery worth thousands of rupees were stolen. The thieves broke the locks at Devi Mata temple, according to these reports. Besides removing the silver necklaces on the deities' necks, they also took money from the temple donation box.
https://www.timesnownews.com/intern...state-backed-terror-against-minorities/842284
According to Pakistani Urdu language news network Samaa TV, the man entered a Hindu temple in Karachi's Ranchore Line area in the evening and damaged a statue of Hindu god Jog Maya with a hammer.
Later, the public apprehended the accused and handed him over to local police. Media reports claim the accused was booked under sections dealing with blasphemy.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa of the Bharatiya Janata Party condemned the incident, calling it a "state-backed terror against minorities".
"Another Hindu temple desecrated in Ranchore line, Karachi Pakistan Attackers justified vandalism saying 'Temple is unworthy of being a place of worship'. This is state-backed terror against minorities of Pakistan," tweeted Sirsa.
In another tweet, Sirsa urged External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar "to raise this issue at global level to support the freedom of religion of Hindus/Sikhs across the border".
"Minorities in Pakistan are distressed with such continued attack on their faith while the Pak Govt chooses to stay mute over such harassment," added Sirsa.
An unidentified group of thieves had desecrated Hanuman Devi Mata Mandir in Sindh province earlier in October. Cash and jewellery worth thousands of rupees were stolen. The thieves broke the locks at Devi Mata temple, according to these reports. Besides removing the silver necklaces on the deities' necks, they also took money from the temple donation box.
https://www.timesnownews.com/intern...state-backed-terror-against-minorities/842284
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- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,977
One Sunday in October, Pastor Somu Avaradhi got a shock when he entered his church in Hubballi city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
"There were people sitting inside, singing Hindu religious songs and shouting slogans," he told the BBC.
He says he called the police, but when they arrived, the protesters accused him of abusing and forcing a Hindu man to convert to Christianity. The pastor was arrested - under charges of "outraging the religious feelings of any class" - and spent 12 days in prison before he was released on bail.
This isn't an isolated incident - a report by the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) listed 39 cases of threats or violence against Christians from January to November this year in Karnataka.
These include alleged attacks on pastors by members of right-wing Hindu groups, and even instances where they reportedly physically prevented them from holding religious services. Christians are a tiny minority in overwhelmingly Hindu India.
Little change in India's religious make-up in 70 years
The frequency, Christian representatives say, has increased since October, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in Karnataka as well as nationally, said it was working on a "strong" law against religious conversion in the state.
Critics have described the current draft of the bill as "draconian" - it includes jail terms of up to 10 years for those who are found guilty of converting others by "force", "fraudulent" methods or marriage, and possibly a denial of government benefits to those who convert from one religion to another.
Jai Bhagwan Goyal President United Hindu Front and senior leader BJP along with other protesters chant slogans and hold placards during the demonstration in New Delhi.
Every such decision will be scrutinised since those who choose to convert will be required to notify local officials two months before - and officials will investigate the reasons before allowing it to happen.
Christian leaders are worried that the new bill will embolden Hindu radicals to further target the community. The fear is exacerbated, commentators say, by an increasingly polarising environment under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP in which minority communities feel targeted and threatened.
"Once the bill is passed, we will have to wait for more persecution and more difficulties,'' Peter Machado, Archbishop of Bangalore, told BBC Hindi.
The bill is modelled on a law introduced last year in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, also governed by the BJP. There, the law sought to target so-called "love jihad", a popular Hindu right wing conspiracy that Muslim men lure Hindu women into converting by proposing marriage. State police have since registered more than 100 cases of alleged forcible conversion, the Print news website reported in November.
The Reverend Vijayesh Lal, general secretary of EFI, which runs 65,000 churches in India, alleged that the pattern in Karnataka was similar to what happened in Uttar Pradesh before the law was introduced.
"You push the community, you take them down, you level false allegations of conversion and then bring in a law which is unconstitutional," he said.
Religious conversion is a controversial topic in India. Right-wing groups have long accused Christian missionaries of forcibly converting poor Hindus by offering them money or other support as bribes - a claim they deny.
But Dalits (formerly untouchables) have historically been known to convert to Christianity to escape a rigid Hindu caste hierarchy. Despite laws to protect them, the community is routinely the victim of not just discrimination but also violence.
These tensions have often translated into violence on the ground - in 1999, a spate of attacks on Christian institutions in the eastern state of Orissa (also known as Odisha) was followed by the horrific murders of an Australian missionary and his two young sons as they slept in a jeep.
Christian pastors and priests in Karnataka say they are fearful for the future. Initially, the attacks were limited to a few pockets in the state, but now 21 out of 31 districts have reported at least one violent incident.
"I have been here for 40 years but I don't really know why these conversion allegations are coming now. We have a lot of friends among the Hindu community here," said the Reverend Thomas T, president of the pastors' association in Belagavi district.
Mr Thomas says that in November, local police informally told the association not to hold prayer meetings to avoid attacks by right-wing groups.
A police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told BBC Hindi that while individual police stations have advised priests to be careful, there was no "state-wide policy" on the issue.
Father Francis D'Souza, a priest at a local church in Belagavi, alleged last week that a man with a sword tried to attack him. The case is being investigated and top police officials have assured Father D'Souza that he will be protected.
"But that fear is still there in me," he says.
Representatives from the community have questioned the need for an anti-conversion law, pointing out that India's constitution gives the right to everyone to "propagate religion".
There is no national law restricting religious conversion, and attempts in the past to introduce such bills in parliament have failed. But various states have enacted legislation over the years to regulate religious conversion.
Christian devotees wearing facemasks as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 coronavirus offer prayers at St Marys Basilica on the eve of Christmas in Bangalore on December 24, 2020.
BJP lawmaker Arvind Bellad, who led a massive protest against Pastor Somu, asked why only Christians are worried about the new bill.
"The interesting aspect is that other minority communities like Muslims or Sikhs or Jains are not worried about this new law," he added.
State chief minister Basvaraj Bommai has said that only those who try to lure people into converting to a different religion need to fear the law.
But Archbishop Machado says that the attacks and the discourse around the bill are clearly aimed at Christians.
"It is not a good thing that the government is doing to us," he said.
Social commentator and retired Maj Gen SG Vombatkere said that people should not take the law into their hands.
"If I have a complaint against you, I cannot come and beat you up," he said. "I have no business to attack you, whatever you may have done. But the unusual is becoming the usual these days."
BBC
"There were people sitting inside, singing Hindu religious songs and shouting slogans," he told the BBC.
He says he called the police, but when they arrived, the protesters accused him of abusing and forcing a Hindu man to convert to Christianity. The pastor was arrested - under charges of "outraging the religious feelings of any class" - and spent 12 days in prison before he was released on bail.
This isn't an isolated incident - a report by the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) listed 39 cases of threats or violence against Christians from January to November this year in Karnataka.
These include alleged attacks on pastors by members of right-wing Hindu groups, and even instances where they reportedly physically prevented them from holding religious services. Christians are a tiny minority in overwhelmingly Hindu India.
Little change in India's religious make-up in 70 years
The frequency, Christian representatives say, has increased since October, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in Karnataka as well as nationally, said it was working on a "strong" law against religious conversion in the state.
Critics have described the current draft of the bill as "draconian" - it includes jail terms of up to 10 years for those who are found guilty of converting others by "force", "fraudulent" methods or marriage, and possibly a denial of government benefits to those who convert from one religion to another.
Jai Bhagwan Goyal President United Hindu Front and senior leader BJP along with other protesters chant slogans and hold placards during the demonstration in New Delhi.
Every such decision will be scrutinised since those who choose to convert will be required to notify local officials two months before - and officials will investigate the reasons before allowing it to happen.
Christian leaders are worried that the new bill will embolden Hindu radicals to further target the community. The fear is exacerbated, commentators say, by an increasingly polarising environment under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP in which minority communities feel targeted and threatened.
"Once the bill is passed, we will have to wait for more persecution and more difficulties,'' Peter Machado, Archbishop of Bangalore, told BBC Hindi.
The bill is modelled on a law introduced last year in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, also governed by the BJP. There, the law sought to target so-called "love jihad", a popular Hindu right wing conspiracy that Muslim men lure Hindu women into converting by proposing marriage. State police have since registered more than 100 cases of alleged forcible conversion, the Print news website reported in November.
The Reverend Vijayesh Lal, general secretary of EFI, which runs 65,000 churches in India, alleged that the pattern in Karnataka was similar to what happened in Uttar Pradesh before the law was introduced.
"You push the community, you take them down, you level false allegations of conversion and then bring in a law which is unconstitutional," he said.
Religious conversion is a controversial topic in India. Right-wing groups have long accused Christian missionaries of forcibly converting poor Hindus by offering them money or other support as bribes - a claim they deny.
But Dalits (formerly untouchables) have historically been known to convert to Christianity to escape a rigid Hindu caste hierarchy. Despite laws to protect them, the community is routinely the victim of not just discrimination but also violence.
These tensions have often translated into violence on the ground - in 1999, a spate of attacks on Christian institutions in the eastern state of Orissa (also known as Odisha) was followed by the horrific murders of an Australian missionary and his two young sons as they slept in a jeep.
Christian pastors and priests in Karnataka say they are fearful for the future. Initially, the attacks were limited to a few pockets in the state, but now 21 out of 31 districts have reported at least one violent incident.
"I have been here for 40 years but I don't really know why these conversion allegations are coming now. We have a lot of friends among the Hindu community here," said the Reverend Thomas T, president of the pastors' association in Belagavi district.
Mr Thomas says that in November, local police informally told the association not to hold prayer meetings to avoid attacks by right-wing groups.
A police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told BBC Hindi that while individual police stations have advised priests to be careful, there was no "state-wide policy" on the issue.
Father Francis D'Souza, a priest at a local church in Belagavi, alleged last week that a man with a sword tried to attack him. The case is being investigated and top police officials have assured Father D'Souza that he will be protected.
"But that fear is still there in me," he says.
Representatives from the community have questioned the need for an anti-conversion law, pointing out that India's constitution gives the right to everyone to "propagate religion".
There is no national law restricting religious conversion, and attempts in the past to introduce such bills in parliament have failed. But various states have enacted legislation over the years to regulate religious conversion.
Christian devotees wearing facemasks as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 coronavirus offer prayers at St Marys Basilica on the eve of Christmas in Bangalore on December 24, 2020.
BJP lawmaker Arvind Bellad, who led a massive protest against Pastor Somu, asked why only Christians are worried about the new bill.
"The interesting aspect is that other minority communities like Muslims or Sikhs or Jains are not worried about this new law," he added.
State chief minister Basvaraj Bommai has said that only those who try to lure people into converting to a different religion need to fear the law.
But Archbishop Machado says that the attacks and the discourse around the bill are clearly aimed at Christians.
"It is not a good thing that the government is doing to us," he said.
Social commentator and retired Maj Gen SG Vombatkere said that people should not take the law into their hands.
"If I have a complaint against you, I cannot come and beat you up," he said. "I have no business to attack you, whatever you may have done. But the unusual is becoming the usual these days."
BBC
cricketjoshila
Test Captain
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- Mar 16, 2011
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- Post of the Week
- 1
1. Conversion is now going to be a regulated effort. people converting will now inform the authorities and then convert. This will help eliminate forced conversions.
2.Why are christians only worried about this conversion law? No more easy money from the west in the name of conversion?
3.Hindus must be careful and should not take the law in their hands, it will only help propogate a negative propoganda.
2.Why are christians only worried about this conversion law? No more easy money from the west in the name of conversion?
3.Hindus must be careful and should not take the law in their hands, it will only help propogate a negative propoganda.
Last edited:
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- Oct 2, 2004
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Unacceptable. Incidents like this ruining reputation of Pakistan. I care for my nation. Take actions <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImranKhanPTI</a> <a href="https://t.co/jiDbPvblho">pic.twitter.com/jiDbPvblho</a></p>— Danish Kaneria (@DanishKaneria61) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanishKaneria61/status/1473440715602825216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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“They want to remove us from society,” a Christian farmer said of Hindu extremists. Rising attacks on Christians are part of a broader shift in India, in which minorities feel less safe.
By Jeffrey Gettleman and Suhasini RajPhotographs by Atul Loke
INDORE, India — The Christians were mid-hymn when the mob kicked in the door.
A swarm of men dressed in saffron poured inside. They jumped onstage and shouted Hindu supremacist slogans. They punched pastors in the head. They threw women to the ground, sending terrified children scuttling under their chairs.
“They kept beating us, pulling out hair,” said Manish David, one of the pastors who was assaulted. “They yelled: ‘What are you doing here? What songs are you singing? What are you trying to do?’”
The attack unfolded on the morning of Jan. 26 at the Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra Christian center in the city of Indore. The police soon arrived, but the officers did not touch the aggressors. Instead, they arrested and jailed the pastors and other church elders, who were still dizzy from getting punched in the head. The Christians were charged with breaking a newly enforced law that targets religious conversions, one that mirrors at least a dozen other measures across the country that have prompted a surge in mob violence against Indian Christians.
Pastor David was not converting anyone, he said. But the organized assault against his church was propelled by a growing anti-Christian hysteria that is spreading across this vast nation, home to one of Asia’s oldest and largest Christian communities, with more than 30 million adherents.
Anti-Christian vigilantes are sweeping through villages, storming churches, burning Christian literature, attacking schools and assaulting worshipers. In many cases, the police and members of India’s governing party are helping them, government documents and dozens of interviews revealed. In church after church, the very act of worship has become dangerous despite constitutional protections for freedom of religion.
To many Hindu extremists, the attacks are justified — a means of preventing religious conversions. To them, the possibility that some Indians, even a relatively small number, would reject Hinduism for Christianity is a threat to their dream of turning India into a pure Hindu nation. Many Christians have become so frightened that they try to pass as Hindu to protect themselves.
“I just don’t get it,” said Abhishek Ninama, a Christian farmer, who stared dejectedly at a rural church stomped apart this year. “What is it that we do that makes them hate us so much?”
The pressure is greatest in central and northern India, where the governing party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is firmly in control, and where evangelical Christian groups are making inroads among lower-caste Hindus, albeit quietly. Pastors hold clandestine ceremonies at night. They conduct secret baptisms. They pass out audio Bibles that look like little transistor radios so that illiterate farmers can surreptitiously listen to the scripture as they plow their fields.
Since its independence in 1947, India has been the world’s largest experiment in democracy. At times, communal violence, often between Hindus and Muslims, has tested its commitment to religious pluralism, but usually the authorities try, albeit sometimes too slowly, to tamp it down.
The issue of conversions to Christianity from Hinduism is an especially touchy subject, one that has vexed the country for years and even drew in Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, who fiercely guarded India’s secular ideals. In the past few years, Mr. Modi and his Hindu nationalist party have tugged India far to the right, away from what many Indians see as the multicultural foundation Nehru built. The rising attacks on Christians, who make up about 2 percent of the population, are part of a broader shift in India, in which minorities feel less safe.
Mr. Modi is facing increasing international pressure to rein in his supporters and stop the persecution of Muslims and Christians. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a government body, recommended that India be put on its red list for “severe violations of religious freedom” — a charge the Modi administration strongly denied.
But across India, the anti-Christian forces are growing stronger by the day, and they have many faces, including a white-collar army of lawyers and clerks who file legal complaints against Christian organizations. They also devise devastating social boycotts against isolated Christians in remote villages. According to extensive interviews, Hindu nationalists have blocked Christians from community wells, barred them from visiting Hindu homes and ostracized villagers for believing in Jesus. Last year, in one town, they stopped people from gathering on Christmas.
“Christians are being suppressed, discriminated against and persecuted at rising levels like never before in India,” said Matias Perttula, the advocacy director at International Christian Concern, a leading anti-persecution group. “And the attackers run free, every time.”
‘They Want to Remove Us From Society’
Dilip Chouhan sits in an office behind a copy shop in the small central Indian town of Alirajpur, meaty arms folded across his chest. Above him stretches a poster of a tribal warrior. Mr. Chouhan is part of a growing network of anti-Christian muscle.
Just the mention of Christians makes his face pucker, as if he licked a lemon.
“These ‘believers,’” he said, using the term derisively, “they promise all kinds of stuff — motorcycles, TVs, fridges. They work off superstition. They mislead people.”
Mr. Chouhan lives in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, which this year passed an anti-conversion law that carries prison sentences of up to 10 years for any person found guilty of leading illegal conversions, which are vaguely defined. Energized by this law, Mr. Chouhan, 35, and scores of other young Hindu nationalists have stormed a string of churches. Some of the raids were broadcast on the news, including footage of Mr. Chouhan barging into one church with a shotgun on his back.
He said he wore the gun on his back simply out of “fashion,” and a senior police officer in that area said there would be no charges. Instead, as happened with the Indore episode, several pastors in the ransacked churches were jailed on charges of illegal conversions. Police officials declined to share their evidence.
Mr. Chouhan says his group, which uses WhatsApp to plan its raids on upcoming church services, has 5,000 members. It is part of a constellation of Hindu nationalist organizations across the country, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or R.S.S., as well as many members of Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or the B.J.P.
“The B.J.P. is really into this issue, big time,” said Gaurav Tiwari, a party youth leader in Madhya Pradesh.
His B.J.P. comrades in the neighboring state of Chhattisgarh recently conducted several anti-Christian marches during which they belted out: “Converters! Let’s beat them with shoes!” In September, they did exactly that: A throng of young B.J.P. workers from the same chapter barged into a Chhattisgarh police station and hurled shoes at two pastors and beat them up — right in front of police officers.
“I slapped that pastor five or six times,” bragged Rahul Rao, a 34-year-old contractor and officer holder of the B.J.P. youth cell. “It was immensely satisfying.”
In this case, police officers have charged Mr. Rao, who was bailed out by other B.J.P. members. But in many cases, the authorities take the mob’s side.
A recently leaked letter, from a top police official in Chhattisgarh to his underlings, reads: “Keep a constant vigil on the activities of Christian missionaries.”
Another leaked document, from a district administrator in Baghpat, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, last year denied Christians the right to celebrate Christmas at a church. And just a few weeks ago, an esteemed Hindu priest presented, in public, with B.J.P. leaders sharing a stage with him, his remedy for those who try to convert others: beheading.
Christians in states such as Kerala and Goa, which have large historic Christian communities, face much less persecution, if any at all.
But in tradition-bound rural areas where Christians are a tiny minority and community means everything, the pressure is intense. Village elders in Bilawar Kalan, a cluster of small houses and squiggly roads in Madhya Pradesh, recently instituted the equivalent of a $130 fine for any family that allows Christians in their home. At the same time, they are trying to force the few Christian families to convert to Hinduism, warning that otherwise no one will marry their children, attend their funerals or sell them anything at the market.
“They want to remove us from society,” said Sukh Lal Kumre, a threadbare farmer and a Christian, who sat on a dry log in a field just outside the village.
When asked about the social boycott, elders in Bilawar Kalan were not evasive or apologetic at all.
“We are doing this to coerce them back to society,” explained Mesh Lal Chanchal, who is also one of the village’s top B.J.P. members. “If we didn’t intervene, they would have converted this whole area by now.”
‘Irreligious, Anti-National and Hostile’
In 1936, the royal court of Raigarh, a small princely state in what is now Chhattisgarh, passed India’s first known anti-conversion law, requiring anyone who wanted to change religions to obtain government permission. The concern then, like today, was the rapid spread of Christianity, which was considered a threat to the old order.
Missionaries of that era targeted the bottom tiers of society, including lower caste Hindus and Indigenous people known as Tribals, teaching them how to read and write and encouraging them to question the caste system. This infuriated the landlords and maharajahs who presided over a feudal hierarchy that relied on exploiting lower-caste labor.
Around the same time, the leaders of the R.S.S., a Hindu nationalist group founded in the 1920s, began to articulate their dream of making India a Hindu Rashtra, or a Hindu nation, pushing Christians and Muslims to the side. The R.S.S. is widely considered the ideological fountainhead for Mr. Modi’s party.
M.S. Golwalkar, one of the R.S.S.’s early leaders, wrote of Christians, “Their activities are not merely irreligious, they are also anti-national.” He went on: “They will remain here as hostiles and will have to be treated as such.”
After India’s independence from Britain, Christian leaders helped persuade the framers of India’s Constitution to include protections for religious freedom, even as Hindu nationalists kept trying to pass anti-conversion laws. When the debate landed in Parliament in 1955, Nehru, India’s iconic prime minister, argued against such anti-conversion laws, presciently predicting that they “might very well be the cause of great harassment.”
In the decades that followed, Hindu nationalists tried to restrict conversions. Secularists within Nehru’s Congress Party tried to check them. A few states, including Madhya Pradesh, where Hindu nationalists have long enjoyed broad support, passed their own anti-conversion laws, but enforcement was limited and desultory.
In 2014, all that changed.
Mr. Modi swept into power. Part of his appeal were his promises of economic reform and a more powerful India on the global stage. But many Indians were also attracted to Mr. Modi’s deep roots in Hindu nationalist groups such as the R.S.S.
The first victims of the Modi era were Muslims. Dozens were publicly lynched by Hindu extremists claiming to protect cows, which many Hindus consider sacred.
Then attacks against Christians started ticking up — the Evangelical Fellowship of India says anti-Christian hate crimes have doubled since 2014. So, too, have economic pincer movements. Hindu nationalist lawyers and activists have filed scores of complaints against Christian charities through an organization called the Legal Rights Observatory, starving them of funds and shutting many down.
A few years ago, after Catholic churches in New Delhi, the capital, had been vandalized, Christian leaders pleaded with Mr. Modi for help. He was disinterested, mocking them and never addressing the attacks, according to three clergymen who attended an important meeting at the prime minister’s residence in December 2014.
“He acted like a don,” said Father Dominic Emmanuel, a former official with the Delhi Catholic Church who now lives in Vienna.
When asked about the meeting, a spokesman for Mr. Modi said these were “unsubstantiated allegations” and pointed to a speech in which Mr. Modi said he would “not allow any religious group, belonging to the majority or the minority, to incite hatred against others” and that his government would be one “that gives equal respect to all religions.”
In October, Mr. Modi met Pope Francis at the Vatican and invited him to visit India. Some analysts saw that as progress. Others dismissed it as a cynical ploy for Catholic votes.
Father Emmanuel does not believe a papal visit will change much. Attacks have shot up over the past few months and have spread to the southern state of Karnataka. The extremists say they are acting to stop illegal conversions. Christian leaders say that is just an excuse to stir up a mob.
“Just like they have terrorism to beat the Muslims with,” Father Emmanuel said, “they have conversions to beat the Christians with.”
He added: “I’m worried and very sad that in this beautiful country, with a lovely culture, where we have lived together for centuries, majoritarianism is gaining the upper hand and people are being put against one another based on religion.”
‘Everybody in This Village Is Against Us’
Pastor David, who was beaten up and arrested inside the Indore Christian center, said his first night in jail was terrifying. He was interrogated repeatedly and denied food, water and a lawyer. He and eight other Protestant elders spent two months in jail and still face serious charges.
“The cops seemed to have ears only for one side,” he said.
Santosh Dudhi, a senior police officer in Indore, said his officers had acted on a complaint by a young woman who accused her parents and church leaders of forcing Christianity on her.
When tracked down at her home on Indore’s outskirts, though, the young woman, Shalini Kaushal, denied the police account. “I never said my parents were forcibly trying to convert me,” she said.
Trumped up charges are common, Christian leaders say. Human rights groups estimate that more than 100 Christians have been falsely arrested this year. And the Christians have few allies. The anti-conversion laws are popular, part of the B.J.P.’s playbook to use religion as a force to polarize the masses and win votes from the Hindu majority, who make up about 80 percent of the population. And even though top B.J.P. officials have denied any broad anti-Christian bias, some seemed quite suspicious of evangelical activity.
“If somebody wants to convert, no problem,” said Sudhanshu Trivedi, a spokesman for Mr. Modi’s party. “But why is it that only the most illiterate and poor convert? Can you tell me that someone who cannot even write the ‘J’ of Jesus begins to believe in it? How so?”
At least a dozen Indian states, with a combined population of more than 700 million people — half of the country’s population — have either passed laws, handed down court orders or are entertaining measures that restrict religious conversions. These measures are also being used to persecute Muslims, to a lesser degree. Several dozen Muslim men have been jailed on charges that they forced their wives to convert to Islam.
The new laws do not mention Christianity or Islam explicitly, but they have clearly been written to target people converting to a religion other than Hinduism while exempting people who “reconvert” to Hinduism. The measures outlaw conversions done with force, fraud or inducements. Some states mandate that anyone seeking to convert must apply for government permission 60 days in advance. And the laws are often so vaguely written that almost any church activity could be considered illegal.
“You could get thrown in jail for giving someone ice cream,” grumbled one Christian, who did not want to be identified for safety reasons.
This has made it dangerous for many pastors. One evangelical preacher in Uttar Pradesh who, like many other Indians, goes by one name — Balram — said he and a relative were arrested in August 2020 on suspicion of unauthorized conversions. Pastor Balram said all they were doing at the time of their arrest was having tea.
At the police station, he said, the officers punched him in the groin, smacked him with wooden poles and yanked out clumps of his hair. He said one officer wore a heavy metal bangle and kept thumping his relative on the head. “His head still hurts,” Pastor Balram said.
A police official, Sunil Kumar Singh, confirmed the broad outlines of the case but denied any abuse, instead putting the blame on Pastor Balram.
“He was doing conversions and trying to disturb communal harmony,” Mr. Singh said, without providing any evidence.
Other preachers have faced worse. A Pentecostal pastor was bludgeoned to death in June in the small northern town of Sangohi. Police officers arrested one man who they said had grown enraged at the pastor and accused him of having an affair. The pastor’s family strenuously rejected that.
“It was a planned murder,” said his wife, Sunita Rani. “Everybody in this village is against us.”
‘Everyone Will Hate You Because of Me’
Vinod Patil, a Pentecostal preacher in Madhya Pradesh, is not giving up. Just as Hindu extremists believe it is their duty to stop conversions out of Hinduism, Pastor Patil believes his religious duty is to spread Christianity. These days, he operates like a secret agent.
He leaves his house quietly and never in a group. He jumps on a small Honda motorbike and putters past little towns and scratchy wheat fields, Bible tucked inside his jacket. He constantly checks his mirrors to make sure he is not tailed.
“The Constitution gives us the right to preach openly,” he said. “Still, you got to be careful.”
Hindu extremists have warned Pastor Patil that they will kill him if they catch him preaching. So last year he shut down his Living Hope Pentecostal Church, which he said used to have 400 members, and shifted to small clandestine services, usually at night.
He knows the vigilantes are looking for him. But he insists that he is following the law and that everyone who comes to his meetings does so voluntarily.
“Before, when we had a problem, we’d go to the police,” he said. “Now, the anti-Christians have the government with them. The anti-Christians are everywhere.”
Secrecy puts many Indian Christians in a bind. They believe deeply in the teachings of Jesus — “You get this energy just thinking about his name,” Pastor Patil said. But they know publicly expressing their beliefs is risky.
Muttur Devi, a lower caste woman who works on a farm in the impoverished state of Bihar, adopted Christianity two years ago. Still, each morning, she affixes a bindi, a small circular sticker, to her forehead, and paints a vermilion stripe on her scalp. These are visible Hindu marks that she says help disguise her departure from Hinduism.
“If I take this off,” she said, touching her bindi, “the whole village will harass me.”
One cold night this past winter, Pastor Patil drove to a secret prayer session in an unmarked farmhouse. He quickly stepped inside. On a dusty carpet that smelled like sheep, two dozen Pentecostal Christians waited for him. Most were lower-caste farmers. When a dog barked outside, one woman whipped around and whispered, “What’s that?”
Pastor Patil reassured the woman that she was doing nothing wrong and that God was watching over. He cracked open his weathered, Hindi-language Bible and rested his finger on Luke 21, an apt passage for his beleaguered flock.
“They will seize you and persecute you,” he read, voice trembling.
“You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends,” he went on, tracing the passages with his finger. “They will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me.”
The farmers sitting on the floor, some holding sleeping babies, watched him closely.
They also checked the windows to make sure no one was coming.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/22/world/asia/india-christians-attacked.html
By Jeffrey Gettleman and Suhasini RajPhotographs by Atul Loke
INDORE, India — The Christians were mid-hymn when the mob kicked in the door.
A swarm of men dressed in saffron poured inside. They jumped onstage and shouted Hindu supremacist slogans. They punched pastors in the head. They threw women to the ground, sending terrified children scuttling under their chairs.
“They kept beating us, pulling out hair,” said Manish David, one of the pastors who was assaulted. “They yelled: ‘What are you doing here? What songs are you singing? What are you trying to do?’”
The attack unfolded on the morning of Jan. 26 at the Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra Christian center in the city of Indore. The police soon arrived, but the officers did not touch the aggressors. Instead, they arrested and jailed the pastors and other church elders, who were still dizzy from getting punched in the head. The Christians were charged with breaking a newly enforced law that targets religious conversions, one that mirrors at least a dozen other measures across the country that have prompted a surge in mob violence against Indian Christians.
Pastor David was not converting anyone, he said. But the organized assault against his church was propelled by a growing anti-Christian hysteria that is spreading across this vast nation, home to one of Asia’s oldest and largest Christian communities, with more than 30 million adherents.
Anti-Christian vigilantes are sweeping through villages, storming churches, burning Christian literature, attacking schools and assaulting worshipers. In many cases, the police and members of India’s governing party are helping them, government documents and dozens of interviews revealed. In church after church, the very act of worship has become dangerous despite constitutional protections for freedom of religion.
To many Hindu extremists, the attacks are justified — a means of preventing religious conversions. To them, the possibility that some Indians, even a relatively small number, would reject Hinduism for Christianity is a threat to their dream of turning India into a pure Hindu nation. Many Christians have become so frightened that they try to pass as Hindu to protect themselves.
“I just don’t get it,” said Abhishek Ninama, a Christian farmer, who stared dejectedly at a rural church stomped apart this year. “What is it that we do that makes them hate us so much?”
The pressure is greatest in central and northern India, where the governing party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is firmly in control, and where evangelical Christian groups are making inroads among lower-caste Hindus, albeit quietly. Pastors hold clandestine ceremonies at night. They conduct secret baptisms. They pass out audio Bibles that look like little transistor radios so that illiterate farmers can surreptitiously listen to the scripture as they plow their fields.
Since its independence in 1947, India has been the world’s largest experiment in democracy. At times, communal violence, often between Hindus and Muslims, has tested its commitment to religious pluralism, but usually the authorities try, albeit sometimes too slowly, to tamp it down.
The issue of conversions to Christianity from Hinduism is an especially touchy subject, one that has vexed the country for years and even drew in Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, who fiercely guarded India’s secular ideals. In the past few years, Mr. Modi and his Hindu nationalist party have tugged India far to the right, away from what many Indians see as the multicultural foundation Nehru built. The rising attacks on Christians, who make up about 2 percent of the population, are part of a broader shift in India, in which minorities feel less safe.
Mr. Modi is facing increasing international pressure to rein in his supporters and stop the persecution of Muslims and Christians. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a government body, recommended that India be put on its red list for “severe violations of religious freedom” — a charge the Modi administration strongly denied.
But across India, the anti-Christian forces are growing stronger by the day, and they have many faces, including a white-collar army of lawyers and clerks who file legal complaints against Christian organizations. They also devise devastating social boycotts against isolated Christians in remote villages. According to extensive interviews, Hindu nationalists have blocked Christians from community wells, barred them from visiting Hindu homes and ostracized villagers for believing in Jesus. Last year, in one town, they stopped people from gathering on Christmas.
“Christians are being suppressed, discriminated against and persecuted at rising levels like never before in India,” said Matias Perttula, the advocacy director at International Christian Concern, a leading anti-persecution group. “And the attackers run free, every time.”
‘They Want to Remove Us From Society’
Dilip Chouhan sits in an office behind a copy shop in the small central Indian town of Alirajpur, meaty arms folded across his chest. Above him stretches a poster of a tribal warrior. Mr. Chouhan is part of a growing network of anti-Christian muscle.
Just the mention of Christians makes his face pucker, as if he licked a lemon.
“These ‘believers,’” he said, using the term derisively, “they promise all kinds of stuff — motorcycles, TVs, fridges. They work off superstition. They mislead people.”
Mr. Chouhan lives in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, which this year passed an anti-conversion law that carries prison sentences of up to 10 years for any person found guilty of leading illegal conversions, which are vaguely defined. Energized by this law, Mr. Chouhan, 35, and scores of other young Hindu nationalists have stormed a string of churches. Some of the raids were broadcast on the news, including footage of Mr. Chouhan barging into one church with a shotgun on his back.
He said he wore the gun on his back simply out of “fashion,” and a senior police officer in that area said there would be no charges. Instead, as happened with the Indore episode, several pastors in the ransacked churches were jailed on charges of illegal conversions. Police officials declined to share their evidence.
Mr. Chouhan says his group, which uses WhatsApp to plan its raids on upcoming church services, has 5,000 members. It is part of a constellation of Hindu nationalist organizations across the country, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or R.S.S., as well as many members of Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or the B.J.P.
“The B.J.P. is really into this issue, big time,” said Gaurav Tiwari, a party youth leader in Madhya Pradesh.
His B.J.P. comrades in the neighboring state of Chhattisgarh recently conducted several anti-Christian marches during which they belted out: “Converters! Let’s beat them with shoes!” In September, they did exactly that: A throng of young B.J.P. workers from the same chapter barged into a Chhattisgarh police station and hurled shoes at two pastors and beat them up — right in front of police officers.
“I slapped that pastor five or six times,” bragged Rahul Rao, a 34-year-old contractor and officer holder of the B.J.P. youth cell. “It was immensely satisfying.”
In this case, police officers have charged Mr. Rao, who was bailed out by other B.J.P. members. But in many cases, the authorities take the mob’s side.
A recently leaked letter, from a top police official in Chhattisgarh to his underlings, reads: “Keep a constant vigil on the activities of Christian missionaries.”
Another leaked document, from a district administrator in Baghpat, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, last year denied Christians the right to celebrate Christmas at a church. And just a few weeks ago, an esteemed Hindu priest presented, in public, with B.J.P. leaders sharing a stage with him, his remedy for those who try to convert others: beheading.
Christians in states such as Kerala and Goa, which have large historic Christian communities, face much less persecution, if any at all.
But in tradition-bound rural areas where Christians are a tiny minority and community means everything, the pressure is intense. Village elders in Bilawar Kalan, a cluster of small houses and squiggly roads in Madhya Pradesh, recently instituted the equivalent of a $130 fine for any family that allows Christians in their home. At the same time, they are trying to force the few Christian families to convert to Hinduism, warning that otherwise no one will marry their children, attend their funerals or sell them anything at the market.
“They want to remove us from society,” said Sukh Lal Kumre, a threadbare farmer and a Christian, who sat on a dry log in a field just outside the village.
When asked about the social boycott, elders in Bilawar Kalan were not evasive or apologetic at all.
“We are doing this to coerce them back to society,” explained Mesh Lal Chanchal, who is also one of the village’s top B.J.P. members. “If we didn’t intervene, they would have converted this whole area by now.”
‘Irreligious, Anti-National and Hostile’
In 1936, the royal court of Raigarh, a small princely state in what is now Chhattisgarh, passed India’s first known anti-conversion law, requiring anyone who wanted to change religions to obtain government permission. The concern then, like today, was the rapid spread of Christianity, which was considered a threat to the old order.
Missionaries of that era targeted the bottom tiers of society, including lower caste Hindus and Indigenous people known as Tribals, teaching them how to read and write and encouraging them to question the caste system. This infuriated the landlords and maharajahs who presided over a feudal hierarchy that relied on exploiting lower-caste labor.
Around the same time, the leaders of the R.S.S., a Hindu nationalist group founded in the 1920s, began to articulate their dream of making India a Hindu Rashtra, or a Hindu nation, pushing Christians and Muslims to the side. The R.S.S. is widely considered the ideological fountainhead for Mr. Modi’s party.
M.S. Golwalkar, one of the R.S.S.’s early leaders, wrote of Christians, “Their activities are not merely irreligious, they are also anti-national.” He went on: “They will remain here as hostiles and will have to be treated as such.”
After India’s independence from Britain, Christian leaders helped persuade the framers of India’s Constitution to include protections for religious freedom, even as Hindu nationalists kept trying to pass anti-conversion laws. When the debate landed in Parliament in 1955, Nehru, India’s iconic prime minister, argued against such anti-conversion laws, presciently predicting that they “might very well be the cause of great harassment.”
In the decades that followed, Hindu nationalists tried to restrict conversions. Secularists within Nehru’s Congress Party tried to check them. A few states, including Madhya Pradesh, where Hindu nationalists have long enjoyed broad support, passed their own anti-conversion laws, but enforcement was limited and desultory.
In 2014, all that changed.
Mr. Modi swept into power. Part of his appeal were his promises of economic reform and a more powerful India on the global stage. But many Indians were also attracted to Mr. Modi’s deep roots in Hindu nationalist groups such as the R.S.S.
The first victims of the Modi era were Muslims. Dozens were publicly lynched by Hindu extremists claiming to protect cows, which many Hindus consider sacred.
Then attacks against Christians started ticking up — the Evangelical Fellowship of India says anti-Christian hate crimes have doubled since 2014. So, too, have economic pincer movements. Hindu nationalist lawyers and activists have filed scores of complaints against Christian charities through an organization called the Legal Rights Observatory, starving them of funds and shutting many down.
A few years ago, after Catholic churches in New Delhi, the capital, had been vandalized, Christian leaders pleaded with Mr. Modi for help. He was disinterested, mocking them and never addressing the attacks, according to three clergymen who attended an important meeting at the prime minister’s residence in December 2014.
“He acted like a don,” said Father Dominic Emmanuel, a former official with the Delhi Catholic Church who now lives in Vienna.
When asked about the meeting, a spokesman for Mr. Modi said these were “unsubstantiated allegations” and pointed to a speech in which Mr. Modi said he would “not allow any religious group, belonging to the majority or the minority, to incite hatred against others” and that his government would be one “that gives equal respect to all religions.”
In October, Mr. Modi met Pope Francis at the Vatican and invited him to visit India. Some analysts saw that as progress. Others dismissed it as a cynical ploy for Catholic votes.
Father Emmanuel does not believe a papal visit will change much. Attacks have shot up over the past few months and have spread to the southern state of Karnataka. The extremists say they are acting to stop illegal conversions. Christian leaders say that is just an excuse to stir up a mob.
“Just like they have terrorism to beat the Muslims with,” Father Emmanuel said, “they have conversions to beat the Christians with.”
He added: “I’m worried and very sad that in this beautiful country, with a lovely culture, where we have lived together for centuries, majoritarianism is gaining the upper hand and people are being put against one another based on religion.”
‘Everybody in This Village Is Against Us’
Pastor David, who was beaten up and arrested inside the Indore Christian center, said his first night in jail was terrifying. He was interrogated repeatedly and denied food, water and a lawyer. He and eight other Protestant elders spent two months in jail and still face serious charges.
“The cops seemed to have ears only for one side,” he said.
Santosh Dudhi, a senior police officer in Indore, said his officers had acted on a complaint by a young woman who accused her parents and church leaders of forcing Christianity on her.
When tracked down at her home on Indore’s outskirts, though, the young woman, Shalini Kaushal, denied the police account. “I never said my parents were forcibly trying to convert me,” she said.
Trumped up charges are common, Christian leaders say. Human rights groups estimate that more than 100 Christians have been falsely arrested this year. And the Christians have few allies. The anti-conversion laws are popular, part of the B.J.P.’s playbook to use religion as a force to polarize the masses and win votes from the Hindu majority, who make up about 80 percent of the population. And even though top B.J.P. officials have denied any broad anti-Christian bias, some seemed quite suspicious of evangelical activity.
“If somebody wants to convert, no problem,” said Sudhanshu Trivedi, a spokesman for Mr. Modi’s party. “But why is it that only the most illiterate and poor convert? Can you tell me that someone who cannot even write the ‘J’ of Jesus begins to believe in it? How so?”
At least a dozen Indian states, with a combined population of more than 700 million people — half of the country’s population — have either passed laws, handed down court orders or are entertaining measures that restrict religious conversions. These measures are also being used to persecute Muslims, to a lesser degree. Several dozen Muslim men have been jailed on charges that they forced their wives to convert to Islam.
The new laws do not mention Christianity or Islam explicitly, but they have clearly been written to target people converting to a religion other than Hinduism while exempting people who “reconvert” to Hinduism. The measures outlaw conversions done with force, fraud or inducements. Some states mandate that anyone seeking to convert must apply for government permission 60 days in advance. And the laws are often so vaguely written that almost any church activity could be considered illegal.
“You could get thrown in jail for giving someone ice cream,” grumbled one Christian, who did not want to be identified for safety reasons.
This has made it dangerous for many pastors. One evangelical preacher in Uttar Pradesh who, like many other Indians, goes by one name — Balram — said he and a relative were arrested in August 2020 on suspicion of unauthorized conversions. Pastor Balram said all they were doing at the time of their arrest was having tea.
At the police station, he said, the officers punched him in the groin, smacked him with wooden poles and yanked out clumps of his hair. He said one officer wore a heavy metal bangle and kept thumping his relative on the head. “His head still hurts,” Pastor Balram said.
A police official, Sunil Kumar Singh, confirmed the broad outlines of the case but denied any abuse, instead putting the blame on Pastor Balram.
“He was doing conversions and trying to disturb communal harmony,” Mr. Singh said, without providing any evidence.
Other preachers have faced worse. A Pentecostal pastor was bludgeoned to death in June in the small northern town of Sangohi. Police officers arrested one man who they said had grown enraged at the pastor and accused him of having an affair. The pastor’s family strenuously rejected that.
“It was a planned murder,” said his wife, Sunita Rani. “Everybody in this village is against us.”
‘Everyone Will Hate You Because of Me’
Vinod Patil, a Pentecostal preacher in Madhya Pradesh, is not giving up. Just as Hindu extremists believe it is their duty to stop conversions out of Hinduism, Pastor Patil believes his religious duty is to spread Christianity. These days, he operates like a secret agent.
He leaves his house quietly and never in a group. He jumps on a small Honda motorbike and putters past little towns and scratchy wheat fields, Bible tucked inside his jacket. He constantly checks his mirrors to make sure he is not tailed.
“The Constitution gives us the right to preach openly,” he said. “Still, you got to be careful.”
Hindu extremists have warned Pastor Patil that they will kill him if they catch him preaching. So last year he shut down his Living Hope Pentecostal Church, which he said used to have 400 members, and shifted to small clandestine services, usually at night.
He knows the vigilantes are looking for him. But he insists that he is following the law and that everyone who comes to his meetings does so voluntarily.
“Before, when we had a problem, we’d go to the police,” he said. “Now, the anti-Christians have the government with them. The anti-Christians are everywhere.”
Secrecy puts many Indian Christians in a bind. They believe deeply in the teachings of Jesus — “You get this energy just thinking about his name,” Pastor Patil said. But they know publicly expressing their beliefs is risky.
Muttur Devi, a lower caste woman who works on a farm in the impoverished state of Bihar, adopted Christianity two years ago. Still, each morning, she affixes a bindi, a small circular sticker, to her forehead, and paints a vermilion stripe on her scalp. These are visible Hindu marks that she says help disguise her departure from Hinduism.
“If I take this off,” she said, touching her bindi, “the whole village will harass me.”
One cold night this past winter, Pastor Patil drove to a secret prayer session in an unmarked farmhouse. He quickly stepped inside. On a dusty carpet that smelled like sheep, two dozen Pentecostal Christians waited for him. Most were lower-caste farmers. When a dog barked outside, one woman whipped around and whispered, “What’s that?”
Pastor Patil reassured the woman that she was doing nothing wrong and that God was watching over. He cracked open his weathered, Hindi-language Bible and rested his finger on Luke 21, an apt passage for his beleaguered flock.
“They will seize you and persecute you,” he read, voice trembling.
“You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends,” he went on, tracing the passages with his finger. “They will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me.”
The farmers sitting on the floor, some holding sleeping babies, watched him closely.
They also checked the windows to make sure no one was coming.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/22/world/asia/india-christians-attacked.html
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A priest was killed while another was injured after armed assailants opened fire on them in Peshawar on Sunday.
According to a police statement, the incident occurred near Ring Road within Gulbahar police station limits. The statement said a heavy police contingent had reached the scene and a search operation was underway.
"Evidence is being collected from the scene of the crime and CCTV cameras are also being checked," police said.
The statement added that the body had been shifted to the hospital for conducting an autopsy while further investigation was underway.
"William Siraj was a padre at a church within Chamkani police station limits," the statement said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital said that the injured priest was discharged after being provided medical treatment for minor injuries.
Speaking to the media at the scene of the crime, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Abbas Ahsan said that the attack on the Christian community was tragic.
He added that according to initial reports, there were two attackers involved in the incident. "A comprehensive investigation has been launched," he said. CCPO Ahsan stated that members of the minority community were targeted, adding that it was a "terrorist act".
He said that in the past, police had identified the perpetrators of attacks targeting minorities and said that the same would also be done in this case. The officer said that officials were conducting geo-fencing and looking at other data.
"We are determined to protect minorities," the CCPO said, adding that a team consisting of officials from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Peshawar police had been formed to probe the case.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan took notice of the incident and directed the IG to take necessary steps for arresting the culprits.
He also condemned the fact that religious leaders of the Christian community were targeted, adding that the perpetrators would not be able to escape the clutches of the law.
Khan offered his condolences to the Christian community and the family of the deceased. He also prayed for the swift recovery of the other padre injured in the incident.
The chief minister directed officials to provide the injured with the best possible medical treatment.
Speaking to the media, PTI MPA Wilson Wazir said that the deceased padre did not face any threats and was coming and going freely.
"Police are investigating the incident and will reach the perpetrators soon," he said. The MPA said that it would be premature to comment on the incident at this time, adding that he had full confidence in the police.
DAWN
According to a police statement, the incident occurred near Ring Road within Gulbahar police station limits. The statement said a heavy police contingent had reached the scene and a search operation was underway.
"Evidence is being collected from the scene of the crime and CCTV cameras are also being checked," police said.
The statement added that the body had been shifted to the hospital for conducting an autopsy while further investigation was underway.
"William Siraj was a padre at a church within Chamkani police station limits," the statement said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital said that the injured priest was discharged after being provided medical treatment for minor injuries.
Speaking to the media at the scene of the crime, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Abbas Ahsan said that the attack on the Christian community was tragic.
He added that according to initial reports, there were two attackers involved in the incident. "A comprehensive investigation has been launched," he said. CCPO Ahsan stated that members of the minority community were targeted, adding that it was a "terrorist act".
He said that in the past, police had identified the perpetrators of attacks targeting minorities and said that the same would also be done in this case. The officer said that officials were conducting geo-fencing and looking at other data.
"We are determined to protect minorities," the CCPO said, adding that a team consisting of officials from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Peshawar police had been formed to probe the case.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan took notice of the incident and directed the IG to take necessary steps for arresting the culprits.
He also condemned the fact that religious leaders of the Christian community were targeted, adding that the perpetrators would not be able to escape the clutches of the law.
Khan offered his condolences to the Christian community and the family of the deceased. He also prayed for the swift recovery of the other padre injured in the incident.
The chief minister directed officials to provide the injured with the best possible medical treatment.
Speaking to the media, PTI MPA Wilson Wazir said that the deceased padre did not face any threats and was coming and going freely.
"Police are investigating the incident and will reach the perpetrators soon," he said. The MPA said that it would be premature to comment on the incident at this time, adding that he had full confidence in the police.
DAWN
When will this brutal treatment of non-Muslims in Pakistan cease? There is no end in sight with minority members being gunned down, their girls forcibly converted and their people falsely accused of blasphemy. Another day, another incident of violence against minorities. Equally disheartening than the murder itself is the indifference of people towards such acts.
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Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi on Monday condemned the killing of a priest in Peshawar a day earlier and said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was monitoring the case through the Prime Minister's Office.
He expressed these views while speaking to the media at Peshawar's Saint John's Church where he had gone to offer his condolences.
William Siraj was killed a day ago when unidentified attackers had fired on his vehicle near Jamil Chowk on Peshawar’s Ring Road. Another padre, Naeem Patrick, who was travelling with Siraj, was injured in the incident.
Siraj's last rites were performed today (Monday) at Peshawar's All Saints' Church, following which he was laid to rest. Additional policemen were deployed around the church where the priest's memorial service was attended by more than 3,000 mourners.
Expressing grief over the incident, Ashrafi said the purpose behind his visit to Saint John's Church was to "sit together and resolve matters".
Anti-Pakistan elements aim to spread fear in the country, he said, adding that the attack on the priest in Peshawar was tantamount to an attack on the entire country.
"Recent attacks are a conspiracy to fuel religious, sectarian [differences]," he said, without specifying which attacks he was referring to.
He said that "the attack on the Christian community [had failed] to reduce morale" and expressed solidarity with the Christian community.
"We and the Christian community are united," Ashrafi said. "We want to give this message from the church that we are united."
Earlier, Ashrafi and other religious scholars from different schools of thought offered prayers at the church.
Separately, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif condemned the priest's killing and demanded the perpetrators' immediate arrest.
"Strongly condemn target killing of Christian faith leader William Siraj in Peshawar. There is absolutely no place for such horrific acts in Quaid's Pakistan," he tweeted, adding that the killer must be arrested immediately.
Meanwhile, PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz termed the killing in broad daylight "extremely painful and alarming".
"Pakistan was created with the promise of equal rights for all citizens, especially minorities. Where are those rights? Is there anything that's functioning correctly under this regime? Shame," she tweeted.
Hina Jilani, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, also condemned the killing.
In a statement, she said the commission "sees the attack as a blatant assault not only on Pakistan's Christian community but on all religious minorities whose right to life and security of person remains under constant threat.”
She demanded more steps for the protection of minorities.
The incident
Siraj was a Kohati gate-resident, a retired schoolteacher and priest at a church in the Chamkani area.
According to the police, he and Patrick were making their way back after Sunday service when the Suzuki Bolan van they were travelling in was shot at near Madina Market. A third passenger, identified as Inayat, remained unhurt.
Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Muh**a*m*mad Asim told Dawn that Siraj was already dead on arrival, while Patrick had sustained minor injuries.
Gulbahar police said that a search operation had been launched in the area to arr*est the attackers and a murder case had been registered against unidentified assailants.
Following the incident, several members of the Christian community, including Bishop of the Diocese of Peshawar Humphrey Sarfaraz Peter, provincial minister Kamran Bangash and police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari had visited the Chamkani church to condole with the victims’ families.
The attack also sparked a protest and members of the Christian community had blocked Peshawar's Ring Road in protest on Sunday, demanding justice for the murdered man.
With additional input from AP
He expressed these views while speaking to the media at Peshawar's Saint John's Church where he had gone to offer his condolences.
William Siraj was killed a day ago when unidentified attackers had fired on his vehicle near Jamil Chowk on Peshawar’s Ring Road. Another padre, Naeem Patrick, who was travelling with Siraj, was injured in the incident.
Siraj's last rites were performed today (Monday) at Peshawar's All Saints' Church, following which he was laid to rest. Additional policemen were deployed around the church where the priest's memorial service was attended by more than 3,000 mourners.
Expressing grief over the incident, Ashrafi said the purpose behind his visit to Saint John's Church was to "sit together and resolve matters".
Anti-Pakistan elements aim to spread fear in the country, he said, adding that the attack on the priest in Peshawar was tantamount to an attack on the entire country.
"Recent attacks are a conspiracy to fuel religious, sectarian [differences]," he said, without specifying which attacks he was referring to.
He said that "the attack on the Christian community [had failed] to reduce morale" and expressed solidarity with the Christian community.
"We and the Christian community are united," Ashrafi said. "We want to give this message from the church that we are united."
Earlier, Ashrafi and other religious scholars from different schools of thought offered prayers at the church.
Separately, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif condemned the priest's killing and demanded the perpetrators' immediate arrest.
"Strongly condemn target killing of Christian faith leader William Siraj in Peshawar. There is absolutely no place for such horrific acts in Quaid's Pakistan," he tweeted, adding that the killer must be arrested immediately.
Meanwhile, PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz termed the killing in broad daylight "extremely painful and alarming".
"Pakistan was created with the promise of equal rights for all citizens, especially minorities. Where are those rights? Is there anything that's functioning correctly under this regime? Shame," she tweeted.
Hina Jilani, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, also condemned the killing.
In a statement, she said the commission "sees the attack as a blatant assault not only on Pakistan's Christian community but on all religious minorities whose right to life and security of person remains under constant threat.”
She demanded more steps for the protection of minorities.
The incident
Siraj was a Kohati gate-resident, a retired schoolteacher and priest at a church in the Chamkani area.
According to the police, he and Patrick were making their way back after Sunday service when the Suzuki Bolan van they were travelling in was shot at near Madina Market. A third passenger, identified as Inayat, remained unhurt.
Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Muh**a*m*mad Asim told Dawn that Siraj was already dead on arrival, while Patrick had sustained minor injuries.
Gulbahar police said that a search operation had been launched in the area to arr*est the attackers and a murder case had been registered against unidentified assailants.
Following the incident, several members of the Christian community, including Bishop of the Diocese of Peshawar Humphrey Sarfaraz Peter, provincial minister Kamran Bangash and police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari had visited the Chamkani church to condole with the victims’ families.
The attack also sparked a protest and members of the Christian community had blocked Peshawar's Ring Road in protest on Sunday, demanding justice for the murdered man.
With additional input from AP
cricketjoshila
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1672225
Monument removed from Haripur Square
Some media outlets are claiming this was a statue of Sikh Hero Hari Singh Nalwa, founder of Haripur.
Any truth to this?
Monument removed from Haripur Square
Some media outlets are claiming this was a statue of Sikh Hero Hari Singh Nalwa, founder of Haripur.
Any truth to this?
Cover Drive Six
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Hinglaj Mata temple destroyed in Pakistan's Sindh, 11th such incident in 22 months
A recent report by a minorities' rights commission in Pakistan has revealed a "dismal" picture of the most revered Hindu sites in the country.
Sindh: A group of miscreants destroyed Hinglaj Mata temple in Tharparker district of Pakistan’s Sindh province.
This is the 11th attack on Hindu shrines in Pakistan in the last 22 months.
Krishen Sharma, president of Pakistan Hindu Mandir Management condemned the incident and said that Islamist radicals are not even afraid of Pakistan Supreme Court.
A recent report by a minorities' rights commission in Pakistan has revealed a "dismal" picture of the most revered Hindu sites in the country.
The report submitted to the country's Supreme Court last month states that the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), a statutory board of the Pakistan government, has failed to maintain ancient and holy sites of the minority community.
Out of 365 temples, only 13 were being managed by them, leaving 65 with the Hindu community, and "abandoning the rest of temples," Dawn reported, citing ETPB.
India has, on several occasions, raised concerns over the attacks on minorities and non-Islamic religious structures in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Last year, several temples, including Mata Rani Bhatiyani Mandir in Sindh, Gurudwara Sri Janam Sthan, a Hindu temple in Karak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were attacked in Pakistan.
Hindus constitute the largest minority community in Pakistan. As per the official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus reside in Pakistan, mostly in Sindh province.
https://www.timesnownews.com/international/article/hinglaj-mata-temple-destroyed-in-pakistans-sindh-11th-such-incident-in-22-months/853284
A recent report by a minorities' rights commission in Pakistan has revealed a "dismal" picture of the most revered Hindu sites in the country.
Sindh: A group of miscreants destroyed Hinglaj Mata temple in Tharparker district of Pakistan’s Sindh province.
This is the 11th attack on Hindu shrines in Pakistan in the last 22 months.
Krishen Sharma, president of Pakistan Hindu Mandir Management condemned the incident and said that Islamist radicals are not even afraid of Pakistan Supreme Court.
A recent report by a minorities' rights commission in Pakistan has revealed a "dismal" picture of the most revered Hindu sites in the country.
The report submitted to the country's Supreme Court last month states that the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), a statutory board of the Pakistan government, has failed to maintain ancient and holy sites of the minority community.
Out of 365 temples, only 13 were being managed by them, leaving 65 with the Hindu community, and "abandoning the rest of temples," Dawn reported, citing ETPB.
India has, on several occasions, raised concerns over the attacks on minorities and non-Islamic religious structures in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Last year, several temples, including Mata Rani Bhatiyani Mandir in Sindh, Gurudwara Sri Janam Sthan, a Hindu temple in Karak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were attacked in Pakistan.
Hindus constitute the largest minority community in Pakistan. As per the official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus reside in Pakistan, mostly in Sindh province.
https://www.timesnownews.com/international/article/hinglaj-mata-temple-destroyed-in-pakistans-sindh-11th-such-incident-in-22-months/853284
Non-Muslims merely make up 2% of Pakistan’s population but they are still attacked, vilified and subjected to discrimination. Imagine if non-Muslims made up a sizeable chunk of Pakistan’s population? There would be a genocide. The level of violence minorities face in Pakistan is unrivalled and the government is not serious about protecting non-Muslims.
IndoorCricket
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And yes minorities in India are in danger.
Cover Drive Six
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Really unfortunate for the youngster.
Hope he will recover soon.
Hope he will recover soon.
Cover Drive Six
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Another day, another genocide towards Shia community.. 56 killed & many more injured.
IK talk lot about Muslims/Minorities in other countries.
These are target killings, and big question over the performance of law enforcement agencies.
IK talk lot about Muslims/Minorities in other countries.
These are target killings, and big question over the performance of law enforcement agencies.
Cover Drive Six
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The 18-year-old girl was reportedly shot in the middle of the street in Rohi During Abduction Attempt In Sukkur
The girl was said to have been shot in the middle of the street after she put up resistance to the attackers.
An 18-year-old Hindu girl, Pooja Oad, was reportedly shot dead in Rohi, Sukkur, during a failed abduction attempt. According to Sindhi media, the girl was said to have been shot in the middle of the street after she put up resistance to the attackers.
Every year, several women belonging to minority communities, especially Hindus in Sindh, are abducted and forcibly converted by religious extremists. Pakistan’s minority communities have long faced the issue of forced marriages and conversions. According to the Peoples Commission for Minorities’ Rights and the Centre for Social Justice, 156 incidents of forced conversions took place between 2013 and 2019.
In 2019, the Sindh government attempted to outlaw forced conversions and marriages for the second time, but certain religious protestors contested the bill, arguing that these girls are not forced to convert but do so after falling in love with Muslim men, and the law was rejected.
That year, the case of two Hindu sisters, Reena and Raveena, captured national attention, after their family claimed the girls had been forced to convert and marry when they were underage, and therefore unable to consent to making such decisions. The girls told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that they had converted willingly; the court ruled in the sisters’ favour
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reports the the overall population of the Hindu community in Pakistan at 1.60 per cent, and 6.51 per cent in Sindh.
https://www.thefridaytimes.com/2022/03/21/18-year-old-hindu-girl-reportedly-shot-dead-during-abduction-attempt-in-sukkur/
The girl was said to have been shot in the middle of the street after she put up resistance to the attackers.
An 18-year-old Hindu girl, Pooja Oad, was reportedly shot dead in Rohi, Sukkur, during a failed abduction attempt. According to Sindhi media, the girl was said to have been shot in the middle of the street after she put up resistance to the attackers.
Every year, several women belonging to minority communities, especially Hindus in Sindh, are abducted and forcibly converted by religious extremists. Pakistan’s minority communities have long faced the issue of forced marriages and conversions. According to the Peoples Commission for Minorities’ Rights and the Centre for Social Justice, 156 incidents of forced conversions took place between 2013 and 2019.
In 2019, the Sindh government attempted to outlaw forced conversions and marriages for the second time, but certain religious protestors contested the bill, arguing that these girls are not forced to convert but do so after falling in love with Muslim men, and the law was rejected.
That year, the case of two Hindu sisters, Reena and Raveena, captured national attention, after their family claimed the girls had been forced to convert and marry when they were underage, and therefore unable to consent to making such decisions. The girls told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that they had converted willingly; the court ruled in the sisters’ favour
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reports the the overall population of the Hindu community in Pakistan at 1.60 per cent, and 6.51 per cent in Sindh.
https://www.thefridaytimes.com/2022/03/21/18-year-old-hindu-girl-reportedly-shot-dead-during-abduction-attempt-in-sukkur/
Cover Drive Six
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If Imran Khan is free from harping on about Islamophobia in faraway lands, I would request to pay attention to the plight of his own minorities. Imran Khan talks about every Tom Dick and Harry from around the world except the Hindus, Christians and Shias of Pakistan.
silentkiller187
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Sukkur man arrested for shooting dead young Hindu woman
A man was arrested for allegedly murdering a young Hindu woman after she reportedly put up resistance during an abduction bid in Rohri, Sukkur, The News reported.
Sukkur police registered an FIR against the suspect, Wahid Bakhash Lashari. He, along with his two accomplices, reportedly broke into the house of Sahib Oad with a gun on the day of the murder. Lashari allegedly shot Oad's 18-year-old daughter, Pooja Kumari, dead when the family resisted as he tried to abduct her.
The alleged murderers escaped after the killing.
However, soon after SSP Sukkur Sanghaar Malik ordered the arrest of the suspected killer and his aides, Lashari was arrested from the limits of Rohri, with what is suspected to be the murder weapon.
The incident sparked an uproar on social media with activists strongly condemning the brutal homicide and demanding protection of religious minorities, mainly Hindus and Christians.
PPP Senator Krishna Kumari on Tuesday demanded capital punishment for the murderer of Kumari as the uproar in the province over the killing grew.
Kumari said the minorities demand capital punishment for the killer, saying that the authorities should take notice of the situation as girls of minorities were not safe in their homes. She demanded security and protection for minorities living in Sindh. Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday brought the accused Wahid Bakhsh Lashari to a Sukkur court, where the police got 10-day physical remand of the alleged murderer.
Earlier, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari issued a condemnation and said Sindh police had arrested all suspects in the case. He also lauded Sindh Police for the "expeditious arrests". Bilawal said the relevant authorities should make sure that the culprits were meted out stringent punishments. Bilawal expressed solidarity with Kumari's family and said anyone intending to harm the oppressed would have to face the PPP first.
On the other hand, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif called the murder "heinous and condemnable" and said that such incidents represent our collective failure and put our whole society to shame. "No girl deserves to go through this. High time we thought why we continue to hit lows one after the other," the leader of the opposition tweeted.
Aurat March organisers said in a tweet: "We strongly condemn the horrifying murder of Pooja Kumari in Rohri, Sukkur. 18-year-old Pooja lost her life while resisting her kidnapping by men of influential Lashari clan."
Malala Yousafzai's father Ziauddin called the murder "disgusting" and a "heinous crime", adding that "we all must speak up to demand justice for the bravest Pooja Kumari."
https://www.geo.tv/latest/406891-sukkur-man-arrested-for-shooting-dead-young-hindu-woman
A man was arrested for allegedly murdering a young Hindu woman after she reportedly put up resistance during an abduction bid in Rohri, Sukkur, The News reported.
Sukkur police registered an FIR against the suspect, Wahid Bakhash Lashari. He, along with his two accomplices, reportedly broke into the house of Sahib Oad with a gun on the day of the murder. Lashari allegedly shot Oad's 18-year-old daughter, Pooja Kumari, dead when the family resisted as he tried to abduct her.
The alleged murderers escaped after the killing.
However, soon after SSP Sukkur Sanghaar Malik ordered the arrest of the suspected killer and his aides, Lashari was arrested from the limits of Rohri, with what is suspected to be the murder weapon.
The incident sparked an uproar on social media with activists strongly condemning the brutal homicide and demanding protection of religious minorities, mainly Hindus and Christians.
PPP Senator Krishna Kumari on Tuesday demanded capital punishment for the murderer of Kumari as the uproar in the province over the killing grew.
Kumari said the minorities demand capital punishment for the killer, saying that the authorities should take notice of the situation as girls of minorities were not safe in their homes. She demanded security and protection for minorities living in Sindh. Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday brought the accused Wahid Bakhsh Lashari to a Sukkur court, where the police got 10-day physical remand of the alleged murderer.
Earlier, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari issued a condemnation and said Sindh police had arrested all suspects in the case. He also lauded Sindh Police for the "expeditious arrests". Bilawal said the relevant authorities should make sure that the culprits were meted out stringent punishments. Bilawal expressed solidarity with Kumari's family and said anyone intending to harm the oppressed would have to face the PPP first.
On the other hand, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif called the murder "heinous and condemnable" and said that such incidents represent our collective failure and put our whole society to shame. "No girl deserves to go through this. High time we thought why we continue to hit lows one after the other," the leader of the opposition tweeted.
Aurat March organisers said in a tweet: "We strongly condemn the horrifying murder of Pooja Kumari in Rohri, Sukkur. 18-year-old Pooja lost her life while resisting her kidnapping by men of influential Lashari clan."
Malala Yousafzai's father Ziauddin called the murder "disgusting" and a "heinous crime", adding that "we all must speak up to demand justice for the bravest Pooja Kumari."
https://www.geo.tv/latest/406891-sukkur-man-arrested-for-shooting-dead-young-hindu-woman
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pakistan honours Senator Krishna Kumari on the occasion of Pakistan Day - this is at the Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad - Senator Kumari is from the PPP <a href="https://t.co/Co7YtBklWG">pic.twitter.com/Co7YtBklWG</a></p>— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) <a href="https://twitter.com/omar_quraishi/status/1506485552807350272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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And it continues....
==
Patna: A man was seen climbing a mosque wall and planting a saffron flag on top of its gate in Bihar's Muzaffarpur on the occasion of Ram Navami. He was cheered on by scores of men riding bikes, flashing swords, and hockey sticks.
A video of the incident is in wide circulation, showing men thumping the air in jubilation and cheering the man atop the wall as he goes about finding a spot for the flag.
The men took out a procession in front of the Dak Bangla Masjid in Mohammadpur village while celebrating Ram Navami.
SSP Muzaffarpur Jayant Kant has confirmed filing an FIR in the incident but there have been no arrests so far.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/saf...en-cheering-2879942#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll
==
Patna: A man was seen climbing a mosque wall and planting a saffron flag on top of its gate in Bihar's Muzaffarpur on the occasion of Ram Navami. He was cheered on by scores of men riding bikes, flashing swords, and hockey sticks.
A video of the incident is in wide circulation, showing men thumping the air in jubilation and cheering the man atop the wall as he goes about finding a spot for the flag.
The men took out a procession in front of the Dak Bangla Masjid in Mohammadpur village while celebrating Ram Navami.
SSP Muzaffarpur Jayant Kant has confirmed filing an FIR in the incident but there have been no arrests so far.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/saf...en-cheering-2879942#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll
Arsal_AK
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And how spectacularly he failed.
Itachi
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.... And modi is still in his seat while IK had to be removed forcefully who tried to keep his seat by abusing the constitution.....
Romali_rotti
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Imran came, he conquered twitter and then was escorted out, without doing much or anything..
However Imran alone cannot change the mindset of a country, I honestly believe if he had all the power and control he would have done some good but unfortunately he was like all the other Pak PM's a hand cuffed puppet...
I have said it so many times, Pakistan cannot be succeed, too much bad seeds had been sown in the past which has now grown into a wild forest... Pakistan will just go the way they are, with the occasional highs and predominantly lows, if it wasn't the Americans that were once in control of Pakistan, it is now China, same wine different bottle....
Such a shame, Pakistan should be going head on with India on economy right now, both ppl from the same area with similar genes....
Too Bad....
However Imran alone cannot change the mindset of a country, I honestly believe if he had all the power and control he would have done some good but unfortunately he was like all the other Pak PM's a hand cuffed puppet...
I have said it so many times, Pakistan cannot be succeed, too much bad seeds had been sown in the past which has now grown into a wild forest... Pakistan will just go the way they are, with the occasional highs and predominantly lows, if it wasn't the Americans that were once in control of Pakistan, it is now China, same wine different bottle....
Such a shame, Pakistan should be going head on with India on economy right now, both ppl from the same area with similar genes....
Too Bad....
gani999
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And that's the problem, you see.
Prime Ministers and Presidents are supposed to be spending time doing their jobs and improving the lives of their people, not on taking cheap shots at others on Twitter.
This is why I believe that the only people who should be in politics are career politicians with a serious track record in governance, and not former cricket players or other sundry celebrities whose only aim is to stay in the limelight somehow.
The only good thing about Imran the politician is that he is not corrupt (maybe relatively speaking there too). As an administrator or a politician, he is a complete novice and he showed just that.
Cover Drive Six
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