By Muhammad Akbar Notezai:
“Minorities to whichever community they may belong, will be fully safeguarded their religion or faith or belief will be secure. There will be no interference of any kind with their freedom or worship. They will have full protection with regard to their religion, their faith, their belief and culture. They will be in all respects the citizens of Pakistan without any distinction of caste and creed,” said The Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in a Press conference held in New Delhi on 14th July, 1947.
After elapsing 65 years, Pakistan’s minorities, especially the Hindus, are compelled to leave their indigenous places in recent time. Because both their neither religion nor faith is safeguarded over here, and they have been facing great hardships to dwell anymore in their own indigenous places. Also, they are not being considered to be the citizens of Pakistan in the country. That is why their abduction and forcible conversion is on the surge. There is no one to have Quaid-i-Azam’s 1947’s speech that they would raise voice on the soul harrowing exodus of Hindus.
For knowing the causes behind Hindus’ exodus, this scribe spoke to Balochistan based Hindu intellectual, Mr. Sham Kumar, who briefly discussed this key issue. It is given below.
According to Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, in the very commencement, Hindus were living on this land, i.e., Balochistan. After that, Balochs settled to this land, but Hindus are pioneers of this land. Besides it, Balochistan’s elders and intellectuals show great respect for Hindus.
On the other hand, in Sindh, before the arrival of Arabs, Hindus were living in Sindh with Buddhists. But after Raja Dahir’s defeat, Muslims began to settle in Sindh.
The Hindus of Balochistan, from the very beginning, are traders, shopkeepers and grafters. As a matter of fact, those who belong to these professions are always land lovers and invest their energy in the economic and social activities of the region. Similarly, Hindus have also been working for the welfare and prosperity of Balochistan from the very beginning.
Gone are the days when peace thrived in Balochistan as compared to other provinces of Pakistan. In other provinces, especially in Sindh, turmoil, uproar and kidnapping for ransom, cases were prevalent. It was 1970s, 1980s and 1990s period. While in Balochistan, this disease broke out in 1990s; because in Ex General Zia-Ul-Haq’s regime two worst tribulations got birth, the Kalashnikov culture and heroine or drug culture. Unluckily, these tribulations were spreading slowly and gradually. Later on, cases of Kidnapping for ransom also began to exist in which Hindus would be targeted. Then the disease converted into cancer in Ex General Parvez Musharraf and President Asif Ali Zardari’s regime.
Moreover, slowly and gradually some other diseases got birth, these diseases are: Kidnapping for ransom, targeted killing, ethnic and sectarian violence, missing persons’ cases, throwing of decomposed bodies and extortion, etc. Accordingly, Hindus are being victimized for kidnapping for ransom and threatened to give money, or they get killed when they show little resistance in this regard.
In addition, the cases of Hindus being converted forcibly are increasing day by day in Sindh and Balochistan. They especially convert immature and mature Hindu girls’ religion.
In these inhuman crimes, administration, judiciary and other government institutions seem to be helpless. It is also to be claimed that establishment is involved in these illegal, unethical, unconstitutional and non-religious affairs.
Keeping in view the above mentioned compulsions, Balochistan’s peaceful Hindus are feeling themselves “undesirable and unwanted” on their own land. Also, they are being given indication in undeclared words to leave their mother land and get lost, otherwise, their business, life, and property will be devastated.
Due to these reasons, after knocking the doors of all higher authorities, so far nothing has happened. That is why in present 21st century, Hindus are running from pillar to post to find a safe place to settle.
Hindus’ exodus, before me, is like the exodus of Hazrat Musa’s nation, which is mentioned in the Old Testament of Bible. In Hitler’s regime, Jews were forced to leave Germany, so Hindus’ exodus seems like that as well.
Lastly, I extend my humble request to the U.N.O, Amnesty International and International Court of Justice to intervene in this key issue so that this peaceful minority’s exodus may stop.
(Courtesy to: Daily Balochistan Express Quetta)
No comments:
Post a Comment