Pakistan Hindus victims of 'religious apartheid': Hindu group

Hindus in Pakistan are not equal citizens of the state but victims of a "religious apartheid", a newly formed Hindu group has said, demanding a special session of Parliament to probe persecution of Hindus and other minorities in the country.

Hindu community feels insecure in this country due to continued acts of injustice and atrocities against them, especially women, Mohan Manjiani, president of All Hindu Rights Forum (AHRF) said.

The new organisation was launched on Friday in the port city of Karachi with the aim of securing due and constitutional rights of Hindus, the largest minority group of Pakistan.

AHRF, a non-political organisation, has Kishanchand Parwani, a former member of the National Assembly, as its chairman, the Daily Times reported.

Hindu community feels insecure in this country due to continued acts of injustice and atrocities against them, especially women, Manjiani said. "All the Hindus are hounded and humiliated to force them to leave Pakistan," he added.

"Hindus are not equal citizens of the state but victims of a religious apartheid. They live in a state of perpetual dread with their daughters, property and religious places being constantly targeted," he added.

He said that thousands of temples were vandalised, wealth of minorities was looted, women and children were abducted, but none of it has been tried before the court of law to give them justice.

Referring to incidents of forced marriages of Hindu girls in Sindh, he said that the courts generally do not consider the fact that most of the girls were minors, and simply accept the certificate of conversion without any investigation.

"This practise is much more prevalent as the victims families often fail to file a police report fearing violent retaliation," Manjiani said.

He demanded special session of Parliament to verify injustices and persecution of Pakistani Hindus and other minorities, establishment of monitoring cell to watch, prevent and prosecute all communal incidents, revision of syllabus and removal of hate passages against Hindus, allowing dual vote for 20 years to Hindus, and passing Marriage Act.

According to Pakistan Hindu Council there are more than 7 million Hindus in the country. The overwhelming majority of them are concentrated in the Sindh province.