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Hindus leaving homeland amid security fears
 Having lived in Sindh for centuries, Hindus are migrating because of forced conversions, murders and abductions for ransomIn 2010, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistain reported that at least 25 Hindu girls are kidnapped and converted by force in Pakistain every month. "Every time there's a forced conversion, we hear of a love story and the usual court proceedings, but there's no followup," says Ram Kumar, a 63-year-old Hindu elder from Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... Mohan Lal Harchandani, another Hindu leader, says his community has been living in Sindh for thousands of years. "Not only do we see Pakistain as our country, we work and pray for its prosperity," he said. But the community is concerned about its security. Hindus were 16 percent of Pakistain's population in 1947, but have been reduced to 2 percent. In 1947, there were 428 functioning temples in the country. Now, there are only 26, according to Jamohan Kumar Arora from Rawalpindi. But the 3 million Hindus as per the 1998 census are still the largest religious minority in Pakistain. Most of them live in Bloody Karachi, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur regions of Sindh. "You can not understand how much we love this land," said Ajeet Kumar. "We have been living hear for millennia and are among its indigenous people. This is our land and its people are our people. We are Sindhis and have never discriminated on the basis of religion." "But due to the constant fear of abductions, we are leaving Pakistain and Sindh," Ajeet Kumar said. Last year, three Hindus - Naresh Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Ajeet Kumar - were bumped off in Shikarpur while a Hindu student's mutilated body was found in Hyderabad. Although the liberal Pakistain People's Party is in power, Sindhi Hindus are still being murdered, kidnapped for ransom, or converted by force. Thirty-seven Hindus from five families of Thul, a small town in Jacobabad district, have recently left for India for good, because of security concerns. "It's extremely sad that the Hindu families who have been living in the province for centuries are being forced to migrate from their motherland," Pakistain Hindu Seva (PHS) President Sanjesh Kumar said. "The government is not providing them adequate security." Since 2008, more than 10 Sindhi Hindu families have been migrating to other countries every month. "The Hindus who migrate to India are not entirely happy, but they don't have too many options," he said. "Eight to 10 Hindu families migrate from Pakistain to India every month," said an official at the ministry of external affairs in New Delhi. "Most of them are well off." Posted by: trailing wife 2012-03-17 |
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