Hindus in Pakistan: a brief history
by Sheena Patel
There is a lack of awareness across the world about the very existence of a significant yet dwindling Hindu community in Pakistan. Presently it is estimated that Hindus make up 2% of Pakistan’s population. This is at least five times the number of Hindus in Britain.
June 21st, 2006 at 5:04 am
A couple of years ago a report was published regarding the plight of minorities, especially Hindus, in Pakistan in a pakistani news weekly called THE FRIDAY TIMES, from Lahore.
Perhaps a more careful and categorical survey should be undertaken to assess the situation on the ground there by concerned Hindu minds.
June 21st, 2006 at 6:07 am
Plight of Hindus in Pakistan, Afghanistan & Kashmir & Bagladesh are totaly forgotten by worlds & most of Human rights orgnisations.
In Europe & American & India no one officially is mention about plight & discrimination of Hindus .In Afghanistan as in Pakistan their is state discrimination of Hindus.Afghanistan decleard as Islamic state & Islam is the state religion. Islamic shria law is the back bone of judeciary system of Afghanistan.The president of country must be a muslim .Un offically their are harassement of Hindus & Sikhs .The properties belong to them are still occupied by power full Mujahedine .Force conversion to Islam specially of girls & women is the ruotine practise of Afghan Islamic society.
Recently on 31 may 2006 a news published by Bakhtar agaency Afghan Government offical news agency published a news that Mr Tota singh one of returend Afghan Sikh refugee from India is coverted to Islam.
In one year during 2005 their is 3 case of forcefull conversion of Hindus Girls to Islam in Afghanistan.The numbers of living Hindus & Sikhs minorities are very scanty 2000 to 2500.This figer was befor 1992 was around 70000& 120000.
In Europe & Uk still Hindus & Sikhs are involetary deporting to Afghanistan.
The United State Commission for International religious freedom( USCIRF) release a emmergency press release to stope the involentary deportation of Afghan Hindus from Germany to Afghanistan & asked the US Government to make pressur on German Government to stope doperation of Afghan Hindus or to accept the Afghan Hindus in Usa as refugees. But until now involetary deportation of Afghan Hindus from Germany & UK is still continus, non one Human rights orgnisations & Hindus Human rights orgnisation in Europe is doing any activity to stope the involentary deportation of Afghan Hindus from Europe.
June 22nd, 2006 at 3:00 am
There is need to form a religious freedom police in countries with Islamic governments , UNO should be pressurised to bring this system and compel it. Every Fortnight a review of situation of Hindus in Islamic countries should be published. free telephone call helpline for hindus in pakistan and bangladesh , malaysia and indonesia should be provided and governments of these countries should be directed to provide protection through UNO monitored forces
June 27th, 2006 at 7:38 pm
I completely agree with your article. I want to make two following points:
1) Not only the international community and amnesty organizations are apathetic to this issue but the Indian government and hindus in general are also totally silent. Why? This boggles my mind.
2) This is not just the hindu problem; all non-muslims are threatened in muslim majoirty countries - chistians, jews, russians, chinese, budhists, etc. I have written an article on this subject which I would like to send to you if you are interested. Please let me know.
June 27th, 2006 at 8:39 pm
Rajesh - your ideas are good
But it is very easy to suggest to other people and groups what they shuld do (or not do). Point is - to what extent are you yourself willing to help to make the ideasinto reality?
July 1st, 2006 at 4:17 pm
It is necessary that the present Indian Government should be asked to look to the welfare of Hindus in Pakistan. For all the atrocities and sufferings suffered by the native Hindus, Congress should bear the responsibility. Indian Government should be told to take it up seriously with Pakistan. It is playing to vote bank politics by pampering to the major minority the Muslims in India, who may by the mistakes committed by the present regime and its anti national coalition partners, will be emboldened to seek a second vivisection of our truncated motherland.
July 2nd, 2006 at 10:55 am
It is good that the tumult in Pakistan is being scrutinised on this site.
But the wider media remain deliberately apathetic!
It is upto the Indian Government to intervene, but surely, they cannot do so in the good name of ’secularism’!
July 3rd, 2006 at 9:44 pm
I would like to share two experiences with fellow commentators here.
The first dates back to the summer of 2001, when I was fortunate enough to take a 2-month trip around some parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. I had a number of interesting experiences during this trip, but they are better saved for another day. However, whilst in Afghanistan, I was able to meet with a few of the Hindu and Sikh families living there at the time.
To a man, they all expressed their perpetual fear of what may happen to them. They described how difficult their lives were and the constant officially sanctioned discrimination they faced, placing obstacles in their way at every step, even when carrying out the simplest activity of daily life, like shopping or going to work. They spoke of the yellow-label issue that some may recall from a few years back and how whilst the whole world had made a big deal of it, it was actually nothing more than making more official something that wasvirtually already the case. They already had to identify themselves as minorities at every point (allegedly for their protection, if you can believe that!)
Of course, all this we already know, at the very least from rumour if not from more certain sources. However, what was interesting to me was their attitude towards India. They looked to India for inspiration, and regarded her as almost an adopted motherland, and not merely in a religious way, but also culturally and as an identity reference, for want of a better phrase. However, they also felt that India in turn was ignoring them; they felt abandoned and they felt that with India’s help, they could be ’saved’, a word used by many of them, but with differing meanings. For some, it meant that they wanted India to ‘bring them home’ - ie take them to India. But for others, it simply meant that they believed that India had the power to force Afghanistan to treat them properly.
The question here arises, of course, why India? Why should this responsibility fall at India’s feet? I see that a previous commentator has noted the potential contradiction in expecting a secular country to be expected to take responsibility for the world’s Hindus.
The second experience concerns a friend here in Britain. He is a Pakistani Hindu from Karachi. He was born and brought up in Karachi, but moved to Britain to study. At his graduation time, naturally, his family came over from Pakistan to visit him and see the place that he had been living for the past 3 years, and in fact that he had chosen to stay in as his new home. After his graduation ceremony, they all naturally wanted to go to the mandir to offer thanks and seek blessings for his future career. So they all went home and changed into their traditional dress - ie shalwar kameez and so on. On arrival at the mandir, however, no sooner had they stepped in than the pandit asked them quite forcefully to leave - supposedly there was a private function going on, though they saw no evidence of any such thing. When they protested, the pandit called one other gentleman who advised the family that they didn’t want any trouble and that they should please leave. They left feeling terrible; I was told all this later by the boy, who was sure that their Pakistani dress and their naturally speaking in Urdu (eg insha’allah, etc) had caused them to be mistaken for Pakistani Muslims. This is just one example; I know of many other similar cases.
July 3rd, 2006 at 10:02 pm
Satya, there are interesting points you raise - must be interesting having actually travelled all these places and gotten diferent people’s views first hand about these kind of issues.
One point though, Quote:
“The question here arises, of course, why India? Why should this responsibility fall at India’s feet? I see that a previous commentator has noted the potential contradiction in expecting a secular country to be expected to take responsibility for the world’s Hindus.”
Pakistan & India were one country - INDIA - just a few decades ago. The Hindus who lived in what happened to become Pakistan, didn’t ask to live in an Islamic state. They were Indian up until then, and their loyalties lay with India. OBVIOUSLY, any sane person would see that there is a moral responsibility towards these people, who were Indian up until last night, to prevent a genocide being perpetrated upon them, to take steps to safeguard their rights.
One way of looking at what is happening to Hindus is Pakistan is a prolonged Partition riot. Of course India has a responsibility.
(Afghanistan escapes that logic, but the issue, if India stops trying to escape from its civilisational ethos and history) is still similar
The fact that India won’t do anything is another matter altogether.
July 3rd, 2006 at 10:42 pm
Incidentally, two interesting pieces worth reading reference Pakistan (admittedly not necessarily directly related to its Hindu community) are ‘Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey’ and ‘Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions among the Converted Peoples’, both by Sir V S Naipaul.
July 5th, 2006 at 9:43 pm
Is India Hindu? I don’t mean that sarcastically but ask you to relook at what we are talking about - Hindu. This is a community that is trans border, trans national, trans religion. If we define ourselves as India therefore Hindu we participate in the stereotypes given to us since Alexander.
We are Hindu. It is not India that holds responsibility for our welfare. It is our dharma that calls out.
We are Hindu. It is not somebody else that will save us. It is our seeking for the truth that call us out.
We are Hindu. It is not amnesty international, the red cross, the Jewish defense league, the Palestinians that will help. It is our collective call to God in prayer, to righteous action in karma, and to truth in gyana. It is up to us to lead the world into a pluralistic and just society because we are Hindu.
It must come from within our global commuinty. It is rising for sure and the Muslims and christians fear it so they steroetype us(We should not bow to such nonsense). But it is from this forum (Hindu Voice) and others that we can build awareness and then respond appropriately. I believe that all of us who take the time to blog are feeling that urge. I am sure we will soon have the means as well. We are Vibhisan stuck in Lanka and as we develop networks etc, we will be able to help more. Until we speak and act, there is great suffering in the world and it will grow.
hariaum
July 10th, 2006 at 12:36 pm
From SAMVAD 16 June 2006:
HINDU TEMPLE IN LAHORE DEMOLISHED
The only Hindu temple in the Pakistani city of Lahore has been demolished to pave the way for construction of a multi-storied commercial building. The temple was recently demolished after officials of the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB), the government body maintaining properties of minorities, specially Hindus and Sikhs, reportedly concealed facts from the board chairman about the nature of the building, daily ‘Dwan’ reported on June 13.
A private developer was allowed to demolish ‘Krishna Mandir’ at Wachhoowali, Rang Mahal and raise a commercial building in its place in violation of the EPTB’s own scheme for management and disposal of urban evacuee trust properties, it said.
The demolition was objected to by several opposition members of the National Assembly like Pakistan People’s Party, and Pakistan Muslim League-N, who reportedly moved a motion against the demolition, saying such an act could have a bearing on Pakistan’s relations with neighbouring countries.
July 16th, 2006 at 7:04 pm
Interesting to read Anwar Syed’s comment, “State of Minorities”, published in Dawn, June 18, 2006, reproduced in SAMVAD, July 1, 2006. The article can be found here: http://www.dawn.com/2006/06/18/op.htm
July 19th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Remarkable that he can say it is natural for upper caste hindus to look down upon dalits while he says that muslims are all for moderation.
It is common to view the other as a stereotype and the self as correct.
It is wrong of any hindu to look down on another person. This historical steroetype is significant and can’t be discounted but it is still wrong.
The belief that islam is a tolerant religion denies the history. i’ve heard numerous people on radio say how tolerant islam is while islam seems to have difficulty tolerating disagreement in itself and perpetrates ethnic cleansing on a scale approaching that of the christians.
If hindus are believers in one supreme being then we understand differences but accept them as god created.
If muslims beleive in tolerance than they aught to make Mecca a universal city wherein all relgions are represented, teach all religions to their kids, and encourage the conversion of muslims to any faith they desire.
Hindus are dumb when they look down on any person (not so with ideologies). Muslims are dumb when they declare to the world that islam is tolerant while they are perpetrating the slaughter of thousands.
We know we need to overcome our problems of rigid social structure - one all traditional societies are strugling with.
Do they know that they need to reform their belief stucture wherin Mohamed launched a military attack on Mecca to convert the residents?
July 19th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
Whilst the two scenarios are not necessarily directly comparable, it is nevertheless interesting to note, in the light of this discussion over India’s responsibilities or otherwise regarding Hindus in Pakistan, Afghanistan et al, the response to the current situation in Lebanon.
As I am sure most will already by now know, various countries have chartered cruise ships to evacuate their citizens, some have utilised their Navy and Britain has gone so far as to send out what essentially amounts to a naval task force.
Britain’s response thus far includes at least two capital ships (an aircraft carrier and a landing platform dock), with one more being considered (a helicopter landing platform), as well as a destroyer and two or three frigates; in addition, the RAF have been involved with airlifting by Chinook.
Even more significant is that all this is at a time when the British Armed Forces could quite justifiably have claimed that due to already being committed on two large fronts (Iraq and Afghanistan), they were unable to take such large scale action on a third; presumably this would have meant taking the same course as some other nations and using civilian cruise liners. Of course, the potential fall-out for Britain of a large-scale military committment on three separate fronts is a whole separate discussion in itself.
It is worth noting that India itself has also sent four warships to Lebanon, due to arrive tomorrow, and has made the necessary arrangements for them to dock to evacuate Indian citizens.
September 6th, 2006 at 8:22 am
It is obvious that non-Muslims cannot exist in the Islamic countries. It was essential that in 1947, there would be an exchange of population between India and Pakistan. In that case there could not be any non-Muslims in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Similarly there could be no Muslims in India either.
Exchange of population still possible, but not for long. The number of non-Muslims in both Pakistan and Bangladesh are going down to ZERO because of mass murder and forced expulsions.
Muslim League wanted to have an exchange of population, but as usual Gandhi had spoiled everything. I wish Gandhi would a NRI (Non Returning Indian) of South Africa. Indian history would be very different for the better without Gandhi.
November 4th, 2007 at 12:47 am
Most will by now have heard that Pakistan’s President has declared a state of emergency in Pakistan, a move described by the West as ‘regrettable’. It is of course deeply ironic that Pakistan is on one hand a major terrorist training ground and exporter of international Islamist terrorism, and yet on the other hand a major Western ally in the war against terror.
I wonder what respected readers here make of the declaration of emergency in Pakistan - in what way (if at all) do the learned commentators here feel that this development will affect (a) India, (b) Pakistan’s Hindu minority, (c) British Hindus, and (d) the wider world?
November 6th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Evil ultimately must turn on itself. As open mindedness and pluralism are contrary of the monothink religions they can not tolerate difference in themselves. The king/dictator either must suppress the intolerant extremes or tolerate the intolerant thereby feeding the fire. The judiciary, seeking to increase human freedoms (justice) then must protest extreme autocracy even though that dictate is to stabilize the society. The result must be either a society oppressed by ideology and autocracy or a society freed by the ideology of tolerance, ahimsa, satyam, Brahman - the principles of individual rights, duties, and the rule of a universal law, egalitarianism before the law…. all the things that make a place a place worth living in for most people.
As to India, it seems that if Pakistan is in chaos this could lead to many problems. 1) refugees, 2) increased illegal funding for cross border terrorism, 3) destabilization of controls on nukes, 4) increased extremism, 5) increased military funding to the Musharef regime from the US - escalating the military budget for India and the risk to India. A collapse would be devastating to India as the refugees, etc would be anti-India with no place else to go. Stabilization would be a far better scenario but until the monothinkers get past their himsic ideology will only be a temporary solution.
As to the Hindu minority: they are under attack at times of peace, they are under attack at times of war; so it seems from outside. Until they are better funded by the world wide Hindu community to economic power, their life is difficult. Even when/if they gain power they will be persecuted. Eventually, though, they can be the guiding light out of the darkness of the monothink Pakistanis.
Do British Hindus care?
The wider world: I believe we are about to enter into an islamic world war that will last several decades. It may be reasonable to argue that war has begun. The war is between the muslims and Islam - the individuals and the ideology. Much like the last 2 centuries were a war between christians and Christianity, with the church being the loser; so is this war. You’ll note though, that christianity changed its form when it lost that war (to evangalism, political grass roots activism, etc.); thus this current war of muslims v Islam is not going to be easy and monthink evil will recur throughout history. It is the battle before us though.
I’ve been thinking about how to frame the Hindu response to the situation: The trishul must have three prongs: Education, economic development, and police/military executive. If we can use the police/military to defend against those that attack individual freedoms, then educate humanity with eternal universal truths, and thus support a truly egalitarian in opportunity economy, this would be the best way to create a world of peace and pluralism - indeed this would be a secularist and Hindu base for a constitutional process.
Hariaum
November 8th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
I cannot find a place in my thoughts to accomodate some comments here.
The Pakistani judiciary and the educated elite are nonetheless Muslims who believe fervently in the teachings of the Kuran. These teachings are not negotiable to a Muslim whether he is a lawyer or a peasant. Their education in secular law is therefore contradicted, and countermanded by dictatorial teachings of Kuran.
The very virtue of being Muslim, whether a Judge in Pakistan or not, disqualifies him/them to the very virtues of moderation or tolerance.
“..it seems that if Pakistan is in chaos this could lead to many problems. 1) refugees, 2) increased illegal funding for cross border terrorism, 3) destabilization of controls on nukes, 4) increased extremism..”
Sure, but the Indian border police must stop Pakistanis migrating into Indian territory by any and all means at their disposal in order to protect India form an unstable Pakistan.
” .. The judiciary, seeking to increase human freedoms (justice) then must protest extreme autocracy even though that dictate is to stabilize the society ..”
If the above were true, why then did this same judiciary “resied in silence” over the cleansing and forced conversion of Hindus in Pakistan, did not order the police & the military to protect the minorities from Muslims in the same way as the Indian Government offers police and political portection to it’s Muslims living in India? I maintain that this same judiciary agreed with such cleansing of Hindus, and their silence was a nod of approval for this to be a continuing process to achieve purity in Pakistan, and to remove others of “contaminating” Kuffar faiths in their Islamic land.
I do not for a moment beleive that the Pakistani Judiciary have taken the steps which they have for reasons of “seeking to increase human freedoms (justice)..”
This is a political attack on Mr. Musharaf whom they want out of the way.
Pakistan is, and must remain a “dictatorship” in all but a “public show pretence portraying Pakistan as being democratic”.
It is not possible for ANY Islamic country who adapt the status of “an Islamic State” with Islam as that country’s official faith and still claim to be a democracy - an absurdity in itself which is beyond acceptance or reconciliation to Muslims, anywhere in the world.
If Pakistan wants to be democratic, then they must drop the status of being an Islamic state, whereby the minorities of other faiths will have equal political and social rights to build Temples, Churches etc., as in the western world and in India.
“.. I believe we are about to enter into an islamic world war that will last several decades. It may be reasonable to argue that war has begun…”
I am inclined to agree with the above comment, but for a different reason.
“..The war is between the muslims and Islam - the individuals and the ideology..”
This is what the Kuran and Muslims call “Jihaad” I believe.
I am of the opinion that the war has indeed begun, where the stronger sect of Muslim ie. Shia against Suni against Sufi against Wahabi for eg., endeavour to supress or destroy the other, achieve victory at any cost, and then embark on a worldwide Jidaad whereby they will forcibly convert people to Islaam, and any resistance to the conterary will be dealt with in the Islamic way as prescribed in the Kuran, as was the case when the Moguls invaded India and converted millions of Hindus to Muslims at the point of sword.
Whilst we debate the declaration of an emergency in Pakistan and its possible effects on India, Indians worldwide (Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, Catholic & Jewish Indians) must maintain focus on the fact that India has in excess of 150 million Muslims living there. It is these Muslims who are the clear and present danger to India, not an unstable Pakistan. India has had to deal with an unstable Pakistan for decades. That will continue to be the case.
I worry more at the current billigerent mind-set and the organised “uprising” of Muslims living in India today who present a most severe danger to very sanity of the secular Indian who wants to live in harmony but is instead having to deal with the political agenda of Muslims in India.
November 9th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Pravin
I don’t disagree with you your general comments at all. My first para was a general construct, with a Hindu perspective of what is happening in Pakistan. Hindu perspective can legitimately be applied outside of geopolitical India. We should use the language and intellectual construct given to us to understand what happens around us.
As to specifics, though, Indian border police has failed to stop the Bangledeshis from entering India. I would not rely on them any more than the American Border police stopping latin american from entering the US (the recent fires in California have done more than the police can).
The muslim in India is an odd person. They are confused, rejected from the real islamic world, and often rejecting the real islamic code. Likewise good muslims everywhere must reject the koran as the ultimate arbiter of truth. But that is difficult. This weekend I met a Jew who thought Hitler and Naziism was a pagan ideology. The Economist magazine put out an article on religion and politics in the world and included Nazism as a atheistic belief system. When learned persons of the world are so brain washed, how can we expect the unlearned muslim to not be brain washed? Thus it really is up to us who have been granted birth into hinduism (biologically or by chance socialization) to deliver this message to those that are so brain washed. An interesting part of the Economist analysis was that christian churches were growing by simplifying the message. Thus, and I think this is true, we must conclude that the growth of monothink religions is a growth of avidya in this world. Ergo, we must teach the muslims in India and in the free world elsewhere, that there is a better way of finding the divine in the daily life, that there is a better way to unite scientific modernism with ancient truth seeking, that there is a peaceful way for multiple individual faith (relgions) to live under a transcendental umbrella (Hinduism).
You are quite correct, the muslim has a jihad to fight. Only the muslim will decide where that fight lies - in his atman or in his gun. The muslim will initially inform his decision based on brain washing (the judges you so rightly criticize); then they must decide in their social context (the so called moderate muslims that are by far the minority of the religion); then they must decide in the prescence of the supreme Brahman. This process can only be enlightened by fire (agni) - that of passion, truth seeking. Unfortunately, that will require a period of back and forth (of surya and asurya turning Meru) and that friction is the war in the middle east with off shoots elsewhere.
I am also afraid you and the rest on this site are correct in understanding that India will be the Poland of this world war. Under attack from christians and communists, when the muslims overthrow democracy in India no one (the US, EU, Russia, etc) will speak up (China will praise them). An uneducated hindu minority (in terms of civil warfare) will be destroyed and after the concentration camps are discovered ten years later a Hindu home land will be placed on the Andaman islands for the remaining 100,000 hindus. If this results in destroying the Gita, the Ramayana, Trikul, etc; then the world will be plunged into darkness until the Vedas are brought back by divine force.
This can be prevented but a strategy that goes beyond India is the only way.
Hariaum