Minority Atrocities In Pakistan June 2021
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Introduction
Minorities Abuse In Pakistan Religious extremists and Pakistan government continue to inflict atrocities on minority communities in Pakistan. The condition of minorities has only deteriorated over the years. Religious intolerance has been institutionalized. The atrocities inflicted upon them by religious fanatics as well as the government defy all boundaries of a civilized society. In an act of religious hatred, a mob of Muslim extremists vandalized and burned down the church in Korangi, Karachi on April 03. Taking advantage of the blasphemy laws to settle personal scores, two Christian’s nurses working at Civil Hospital in Faisalabad were falsely accused of committing blasphemy. They both were accused by a Muslim co-worker of desecrating wall hangings that contained Quranic verses. One of them was in danger of being killed by a hospital employee and was injured. Another blot on Pakistan’s society is the forceful conversion. The extremists are not sparing even the mentally ill persons. A mentally ill Christian man was forcefully converted to Islam by members of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The 40 year old victim had supposedly wandered into a TLP sit-in protest on April 14 in Gujjar Khan, Punjab. While among the protestors, he was forced to publicly recite the Kalima and was “converted to Islam”. A community in Pakistan that has always faced discrimination in the Shia community. A report published in the online magazine ‘The Diplomat’ underlined that Shia Muslims in Pakistan today face a double threat, represented by extremists and the government that overlooks the genocide, displacement and enforced disappearances they are subjected to. The report pointed out that Shias were facing persecution and discrimination today in Pakistan. It also quoted civil activists saying that the Shia community had realized that these institutions, both governmental and civil society organizations, are different or unable to address their plight. The report added that that as for the Shias, negative perceptions make them a target not only for extremists, but for the security forces as well indicating that the number of forcibly disappeared Shias had increased during the last three years, reaching hundreds at the present time. According to one estimate, more than 700 people are still missing. However, Pakistan ignores the humanitarian calls for an end to enforced disappearances of Shia Muslims. A development that calls for attention is the sabotage of human rights commission by Pakistan. National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), an independent rights watchdog has been inactive since 2019. A top court in Pakistan called on the ruling party PTI to revitalize the organization amid accusations that the government is deliberately stalling its functioning. Activities and former NCHR works have accused Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government of delaying the appointment of leadership roles in the commission in order to avoid facing accountability for human rights violations- especially those committed at the hands of the country’s military. After finding several faults with the government’s previous advertisements for leadership roles in the commission, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on March 29 directed the federal government to issue an advertisement for a new Chairman and NCHR members. In a view of the above, it is evident that Pakistan not only disrespects the rights of the minority communities but also intends to muzzle the voice of those who raise voice for them, in this case NCHR. For transparent and fair reporting of human rights abuse cases, it is imperative that human rights organizations work unhindered and without any intimidation. In an act of religious hatred, a mob of Muslim extremists vandalized and burned down the
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church in Korangi, Karachi on April 03. Taking advantage of the blasphemy laws to settle personal scores, two Christian's nurses working at Civil Hospital in Faisalabad were falsely accused of committing blasphemy. They both were accused by a Muslim co-worker of desecrating wall hangings that contained Quranic verses. One of them was in danger of being killed by a hospital employee and was injured. Another blot on Pakistan's society is the forceful conversion. The extremists are not sparing even the mentally ill persons. A mentally ill Christian man was forcefully converted to Islam by members of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The 40 year old victim had supposedly wandered into a TLP sit-in protest on April 14 in Gujjar Khan, Punjab. While among the protestors, he was forced to publicly recite the Kalima and was “converted to Islam”. A community in Pakistan that has always faced discrimination in the Shia community. A report published in the online magazine 'The Diplomat' underlined that Shia Muslims in Pakistan today face a double threat, represented by extremists and the government that overlooks the genocide, displacement and enforced disappearances they are subjected to. The report pointed out that Shias were facing persecution and discrimination today in Pakistan. It also quoted civil activists saying that the Shia community had realized that these institutions, both governmental and civil society organizations, are different or unable to address their plight. The report added that that as for the Shias, negative perceptions make them a target not only for extremists, but for the security forces as well indicating that the number of forcibly disappeared Shias had increased during the last three years, reaching hundreds at the present time. According to one estimate, more than 700 people are still missing. However, Pakistan ignores the humanitarian calls for an end to enforced disappearances of Shia Muslims. A development that calls for attention is the sabotage of human rights commission by Pakistan. National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), an independent rights watchdog has been inactive since 2019. A top court in Pakistan called on the ruling party PTI to revitalize the organization amid accusations that the government is deliberately stalling its functioning. Activities and former NCHR works have accused Prime Minister Imran Khan's government of delaying the appointment of leadership roles in the commission in order to avoid facing accountability for human rights violations- especially those committed at the hands of the country's military. After finding several faults with the government's previous advertisements for leadership roles in the commission, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on March 29 directed the federal government to issue an advertisement for a new Chairman and NCHR members. In a view of the above, it is evident that Pakistan not only disrespects the rights of the minority communities but also intends to muzzle the voice of those who raise voice for them, in this case NCHR. For transparent and fair reporting of human rights abuse cases, it is imperative that human rights organizations work unhindered and without any intimidation.
www.ghrd.org Index S.No. Topics 1. Christian Community In Pakistan 2. Hindu Minorities 3. Muslims & Other Minorities 4. Miscellaneous Incidents Minority Atrocities In Pakistan www.ghrd.org June 2021
Attacks On Christian Community In Pakistan
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Christian Church Desecrated And Burned Down By Muslim Extremists
On April 3rd, Mob of Muslim extremists vandalized & burned down the church in Korangi, Karachi.
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Christian Girl Abduction
Muskan Babar Masih, 19, kidnapped and raped by four Muslim henchmen in Mariam Colony, Sialkot, Pakistan. For three days she was tortured and raped by these Muslims.
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Two Christian Nurses in Pakistan Falsely Accused of Blasphemy by Muslim Coworker
On April 9, Mariyum Lal and Newsh Arooj, two Christian nurses working at Civil Hospital in Faisalabad, were falsely accused of committing blasphemy. One of them, Mariam Lal, was in danger of being killed by a hospital employee, & was injured. They both were accused by a Muslim coworker of desecrating wall hangings that contained Quranic verses.
[https://www.persecution.org/2021/04/09/two-christian-nurses-pakistan-falsely-accused-blasphemy-muslim-coworker/]
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Pakistani Christian Accused Of Blasphemy Tortured Into False Confession
A Christian accused of blasphemy in Pakistan was tortured into making a false confession while spending more than two months in police custody. On February 13, Haroon Ayub Masih and Salamat Mansha Masih, two Christians, were studying the Bible in Model Town Park, located in Lahore. While studying, the two Christians met Haroon Ahmad, a Muslim, and several of Ahmad's friends
[https://www.persecution.org/2021/04/30/pakistani-christian-accused-blasphemy-tortured-false-confession/]
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Islamist Party Forcefully Converts Mentally Ill Man In Pakistan
A mentally ill Christian man was forcefully converted to Islam by members of the Tehreek-e- Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), an Islamic extremist party in Pakistan. The man's family now fears they will be the targets of extremist violence if they do not convert to Islam. Adnan Bashir, age 40, reportedly wandered into a TLP sit-in protest on April 14 in Gujjar Khan, located in Pakistan's Punjab Province. While among the protestors, Bashir was forced to publicly recite the Kalima, an Islamic proclamation of faith, and was “converted” to Islam. According to Bashir's brother, Fayyaz, Bashir was renamed Khadim Hussain after his “conversion”.
[https://www.persecution.org/2021/04/26/islamist-party-forcefully-converts-mentally-ill-man-pakistan/]
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Hindu Minorities
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Abductions And Forced Conversion Of Hindu Girls Into Islam
On April 6, a Hindu minor girl, Sodi Meghawar, a Hindu girl was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam
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Arti Bai, a 22 year old Hindu woman, was abducted in Larkana, Sindh on 3rd April. Soon she will be converted to Islam.
www.ghrd.org On April 5th Sita Kohli, a Hindu minor girl was abducted from Village Walji Kohli, Tando Ghulām Ali, Sindh, Pakistan. Minority Atrocities In Pakistan www.ghrd.org June 2021
On April 22nd, a 12 year old Hindu girl, Rekha Kolhi, daughter of Roopo Kolhi, was abducted by a 60 year old man, Hanif Bozdar. The owner, Hanif Baozdar was already married and the father of three children.
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A 17 year old woman Pinki, D/O Lalchand Maheshwari was kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam by Banori Town Madarsa,Karachi. After that, she was forced to marry her Nashir Baloch. Her new name after conversion is Nasmin Shaikh.
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A 18 year old woman from the Bheel community, Parvati Bheel was kidnapped from Bheel Pado, Sanghar, Pakistan. Then she was forcefully converted to Islam by Pir Ayub Jan Sharhandi, Dargah Pir Sarhandi Vill. Samaro, Mirpurkhas District.
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A 19 year old woman of Koli community, Kajal D/o Makano Koli got abducted and forcibly converted her to Islam by Pir Ayub Jan Sharhandi, Dargah Pir Sarhandi Vill. Mirpurkhas.
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Divya Maheshwari, 19 year old girl was kidnapped from Karachi and forcibly converted her to Islam by Banori Town Madarsa, Jamshed Quarters Allama Binori Town, Karachi-Pakistan.
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18 year old, Mumalbai kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam in Madrsa Matiari, Sindh. Her new name is Memuna Shaikh and she was forced to marry Rehamtullah.
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A 17 year old Hindu minor, Sunita Bagari was abducted in Bagari Pado, Sayedabad, Jamshoro district, Sindh. After that, she was converted to Islam by Pir Abdul Khalid Qadari, Bharchundi Sharif Daragha, Ghotki and forced to marry Gul Hussan Rind.
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Ruthless Killing Of A Minor Hindu Boy
On April 22nd, 8th grade student Najoo Kumar Kolhi was found dead in the village of Haji Abdullah Rund. Najoo Kumar was first kidnapped, then allegedly tortured and then brutally murdered.
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Brutal Murder Of Hindu Trader
A Hindu businessman Shankar Lal was killed in Gun Point near Grain Market in Shikarpur, Sindh-Pakistan.
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Muslims & Other Minorities
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Desecration Of Ahmadiyya Shrine
On April 12, a violent mob attacked an Ahmadiyya shrine in Chak 604 TDA with the help of local police led by DSP AllahYar Saifi and SHO Munir Mohana Waseem Pulley near Chowk Sarwar Shaheed Muzaffargarh district.
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Pakistan's Shias Face Double Threat: Extremists and Their Own Government
The online magazine 'The Diplomat' said that Shia Muslims in Pakistan today face a double threat, represented by extremists and the government that overlooks the genocide, displacement and enforced disappearance they are subjected to. “The safety of the Shia minority in the country is at risk, at a time when the besieged Pakistani Shia community seeks justice.” The report pointed out that “the Shias are facing persecution and discrimination today in their country, Pakistan.” Shia families were quoted saying, “They tried to seek assistance from the government and religious institutions to look into the displacement, enforced disappearance and extermination they face by extremists, because of the negative image that was painted around them.” It also quoted civil activists saying that “the Shia community has realized that these institutions, both governmental and civil society organizations, are indifferent or unable to address their plight.” The report added, “As for the Shias, negative perceptions make them a target not only for extremists, but for the security forces as well,” indicating that “the number of forcibly disappeared Shias has increased during the last three years, reaching hundreds at the present time.” On the other hand, government sources announced the release of 17 Shias who were detained in prisons on illegal charges, after the continuous pressure of the Shia families who announced open sit-ins and demanded the disclosure of the fate of the disappeared and detainees in prisons. The sources also indicated that “there are 34 cases recorded of missing Shia persons from different parts of the country.” According to one estimate, more than 700 people are still missing. However, Pakistan ignores the humanitarian calls for an end to the enforced disappearances of Shia Muslims.
[https://shiawaves.com/english/news/74399-pakistans-shias-face-double-threat-extremists-and-their-own-government/]
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Journalists Gunned Down In Karak
Local journalist, Wasim Alam Khattak was shot dead on the night of April 10th by unidentified persons in the Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkwa. The incident occurred in the Batani Khel area, within the jurisdiction of Karak Police Station. Wasim was subsequently rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
[https://www.dawn.com/news/1617669]
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Pakistan: Sit-In Until Shia Missing Persons Recovered
The protest for the recovery of the missing persons belonging to the Shia community entered its third day on Sunday, with the leaders of Shia groups and the families of the missing persons demanding that the authorities trace them and bring them to court. The Joint Action Committee for Shia Missing Persons had started their sit-in in front of Quaid- e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s mausoleum on Friday. On Sunday a large number of religious, political, social and media personalities visited the protest camp to express solidarity with the participants of the sit-in. They said that the sit-in will continue until the recovery of the missing persons belonging to the Shia community. They warned that if their people are not released immediately, the protest camps across Pakistan will be turned into permanent sit-ins. “It is our constitutional and legal demand, and we will not back down even an inch from our principled stand,” said Haider Abidi. “Patriotism is ingrained in our veins and souls.” The speakers said that some of their community members have been missing for six years while some of them have been missing for a decade. “The missing persons include Shia youth who have six-month-old children, and their families are here with us at the protest camp in the scorching heat,” said Musa.
[https://shiawaves.com/english/news/74286-pakistan-sit-in-to-continue-until-shia-missing-persons-recovered/]
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Miscellaneous Incidents
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Pakistan Government Accused Of Sabotaging Human Rights Commission
A top court in Pakistan has called on the ruling Tehreek-e-Insaf party to revitalize the country's National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), an independent rights watchdog that has been inactive since 2019, amid accusations that the government is deliberately stalling its functioning. Activists and former NCHR workers have accused Prime Minister Imran Khan's government of delaying the appointment of leadership roles in the commission in order to avoid facing accountability for human rights violations— especially those committed at the hands of the country's military. After finding several faults with the government's previous advertisements for leadership roles in the commission, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on March 29 directed the federal government to issue an advertisement for a new chairman and NCHR members.
[https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-government-accused-of-sabotaging-human-rights-commission/a-57124832]
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Education In Balochistan: Girls Sent To Madrassas And Married Earlier
A large number of girls and boys who remain out of school, put a question mark over the performance of government. Fehmida,18, was fond of studying natural sciences, her good analysis of biological contents groomed her to think of being a good doctor in future. Her father Saleem kept on helping her out to proceed schooling in the quite patriarchal society till class-eight in the Karbala girls high school. Seemingly, his hopes of growing his daughter educated termed into mistrust over the educational institutions when he examined the irregularity and non-availability of teachers at school, the slow growth of continuity of education and the less response of the teachers given to students. His preferences changed and he tended to enroll Fehmida in Madrasa next to his home. She was married the subsequent year and now a mother of one child. Back in 2010,The girls high school of Karbala – a town in district Pishin which according to 2017 census figures had 55,000 population – had once received an award for its vigilant efforts for education on provincial level. Despite the fact it was a middle module school; the total strength counted to approximately 1,100 and the yearly early March campaign for new registries would bring increasing numbers of children towards school. It had set a precedence in being a hub of good education in the district. Nonetheless, it sought status of the high school in 2014 but didn't last with the same image! All the strength lowering to an halt mostly flowed to the newly established religious corners, the [Madrasas]. it now has 188 students and the educational activities seem dys-functional. In the year 2021 alone, Shumaila remains the only student of class-ten who will be attempting her final matric exams the next month on April 11. The class-nine consists of two students, class-eight makes arrangement of four students, class-six has eight number of students and class-five with fourteen students.
www.ghrd.org In several plots of the [Holy Quran], Islam stresses getting education as it is essential for a living but also maps up the environment in which the teaching is to be given. The 2020 survey of the education department Balochistan figures a total of 423,741 girls enrolled in the province. Similarly, the reports of the education department published yearly explain that there are 3,140 primary schools, 645 middle schools, 403 high schools and 50 higher-secondary schools in the year 2020 in Balochistan. Balochistan is an underrated society that has yet not developed the strategy shaping society's collective psyche. There has to be a fledged policy bringing it to a mainstream track. Women need an equal part in all the imparting walks and stakes. The 2017 population survey elaborates a total 12.3 million population of province Balochistan. In the fiscal year 2020/2021, the provincial PSDP has assessed an amount of 139.996M estimation for education sector. Seeing all the scenario, it comes to entail that the overall girls education growth is underrated in the province. On one part, the post 9/11 war wave has brought the hiking number of madrasas that have impacted the children strength and pave its flow out of school. On the other, the inattentiveness and poor consultancy of government over developing suitable strategy to combat illiteracy doesn't seem intact. The girls education should be a priority for society as a whole, so that, they could also step out in the field and walk in the streets of Pishin and 31 other districts of Balochistan; safe and educated.
[https://nayadaur.tv/2021/04/education-in-balochistan-girls-sent-to-madrassas-and-married-earlier/] Minority Atrocities In Pakistan www.ghrd.org June 2021
From Extremism To Rape Apologia: Pakistan At The Crossroads—Again
Several recent events in Pakistan are indicative of trouble brewing in the land of my birth once again. A couple of intertwined regressive discourses, have coalesced at this moment that, depending upon how they are handled and resolved (or not)—could determine the future direction the country takes.
The first of these discourses one would like to think is well on its way to being relegated to the dustbin of history, given the spotlight shone on it by the #Metoo movement of recent years, with its global scope. But no! The same old tired clichés and misogynistic stereotypes of women as whores – responsible for their own rapes and for the male violence committed against their (sinful) bodies – have once again flooded Pakistani airwaves. What makes such unfounded and derogatory claims worse, by blaming the victims, is that the danger they represent to the female citizens of Pakistan today is from the man elected to protect them: Prime Minister Imran Khan. Imran Khan, put on full display with his recent remarks stating that the rising numbers of child abuse and rape cases in Pakistan, were a result of “obscenity” in society for which he blamed Hollywood and Bollywood (the West!India!). He then went on to state, on public television, that women in Pakistan should remove “temptation” from men, because “not everyone has willpower”. To further protect men from said “temptation” which leads them to commit the heinous crime of rape, as it were against their “better natures”– this moral stalwart of Pakistani society claimed that “women should observe purdah – a term referring
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to women wearing modest clothes around unrelated men, or simply, the segregation between sexes.” It is a short step from making such claims about women's “fallen nature” that men need “protection” from, to mandating that women “cover up” as we have seen happen in neighboring Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini's “Islamic Revolution”, Afghanistan under Taliban rule, and Turkey heading that way under Rayyip Erdogan. However, given what we know and can observe from the latest statements on “obscenity” linked to women's dress and behavior made by those at the highest level of government, Pakistan is in a far place from such a redemptive goal. Not only did Imran Khan make such a dishonorable statement revealing his inner mullah credentials, but he was endorsed in ringing tones by other actual mullahs. Blackmail or Belief, whatever is propelling Imran Khan and the rape culture that he is abetting with his outrageous remarks—the man and his acolytes need to be stopped.
[https://nayadaur.tv/2021/04/from-extremism-to-rape-apologia-pakistan-at-the-crossroads-again/]
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Pakistan Ranked 90th Out Of 120th Countries In Inclusive Internet Index
Pakistan has performed worst in South Asia on the Inclusive Internet Index in 2021 despite ranking the highest in the internet affordability parameter. The Economists Intelligence Unit released the Inclusive Internet Index in which Pakistan dropped down to the 90th spot among 120 countries. The factors determining the ranking include availability, quantity, infrastructure and electricity, affordability with regard to price and competitive environment, readiness in terms of literacy, trust, safety and policy, and relevance in relation to local and relevant content. Pakistan ranked highest in the affordability component due to decline in mobile phone costs as well as improvement in the competitive environment. SI Global CEO Noman Ahmed Said “One issue demanding utmost attention is the gender gap present in access to mobile phones in our country."
[https://tribune.com.pk/story/2296401/internet-inclusivity-a-challenge]
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