UN raises alarming concerns

Human Rights Violations in Pakistan

Shiban Khaibri
The reasons of sheer insensitivity and total callous approach by the international community , particularly those claiming to be watchdogs of protection of Human Rights violations, towards fast vanishing population of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh ever since 1947-48 cannot be precisely explained. Part and parcel of the same country’s rich culture, legacy, past history , dress , food , language etc from which it separated to form a separate state , how it did not take much time by its system in systematically targeting and treating Hindus in such a way which lands at the door even beyond what is known as persecution and torture. Their historical religious places, traditions and other symbols of cultural legacy of Hindus in Pakistan having been targeted in an irreversible manner speaks about the abject intolerance and bigotry ruling the roost in that country. To aggravate the scenario on a perpetual basis, their education system is largely such where basic definitions are twisted and manipulated to inject doses of hatred , hostility and abomination in younger generations against Hindus and even other religious minorities. Not only that but ”left over” Hindus are subjected to such a pitiable economic distress and hardships that a living life is worst than a hell . Added woes of theirs are intermittent forcible conversions especially their teen-aged daughters. It is , therefore, no wonder , that from 22.38% as in 1948 , their population has shrunk and plummeted to below 2% as of now.
It is again a travesty and quite unfortunate that all these decades of Pakistan having come into existence , over such grave violations of basic human rights of Hindus who otherwise are the indigenous people with thousands of years roots there, successive governments of our country never raised the question of their pitiable plight direct with that country and at different international fora as perhaps , nursing a faulty and one sided secularism coupled with “larger interests” of vote bank politics have kept them from taking up the issue even on humanitarian grounds. Among other factors, such a lackadaisical rather totally evasive policy, therefore, has only led to an emboldened Pakistan virtually making it as their state policy to targeting Hindus and other minorities.
However, it is pertinent to note that the United Nations Human Rights Committee has keenly observed and taken a serious note of such a system prevailing in Pakistan. It has very recently issued a detailed report raising serious concerns over ”the spread of religious intolerance , forced kidnappings and conversion of Hindu and Christian minority girls.” The report further says that there are curbs on media and on freedom of expression in Pakistan. The Committee which is regularly monitoring and reviewing the Human Rights conditions in Pakistan , has also noted the prevalence of frequent attacks on minorities and even increase in the number of attacks and threats on Shia Muslims, Christians, Ahmedias, Hindus and Sikhs. Reviewing recently the scenario in this matter in Pakistan by the United Nations’ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR ) Committee , grave concern has been raised. The latest report goes further in questioning Pakistan’s ongoing curbs, outages and surveillance by government institutions and authorities on social media and internet. The Committee feels it all is being done to tacitly manage elections .
Earlier this year , UN experts who work on voluntary basis and not UN staff but independent of any governmental control nor under any influence of any agency or institution and do serve in their individual capacity working on purely honorarium basis , have expressed deep concern and dismay over continuing lack of protection for young women and girls belonging to minority communities of Pakistan. In their report , the experts inform, “Hindu and Christian girls remain particularly vulnerable to forced religious conversions , abduction, trafficking, child and forced early marriage , domestic servitude and sexual violence “. The experts expressing indignant feelings say, “The exposure of these young women and girls belonging to these religious minority communities to such heinous human rights violations and the impunity of such crimes can no longer be tolerated or justified .” The words are to be marked – ” heinous Human Rights violations”. The matter does not stop here but the role of courts in the finding of the experts is questionable in that forced marriages and forcible conversions of girls from religious minorities which have been coerced ”are validated by the courts”. These courts, according to the experts resort to invoking of religious laws to ”justify keeping victims with their abductors rather than allowing them to return to their parents.”
The UN experts lament about the role of Pakistani Police as well since in their finding “Perpetrators often escape accountability with Police dismissing crimes under the guise of ‘ love marriages’ “. In no way , the experts opine, can child, early and forced marriages be justified on religious or cultural grounds because under International Law, consent is totally irrelevant in case the victim is a child under the age of 18. The experts have urged for the need of provisions to invalidate, annul or dissolve marriages contracted under duress with due consideration for the women and girls concerned . It must be ensured that access to ”justice”, remedy, protection and adequate assistance for the victims was available.
Pakistan has regularly been flouting international laws and covenants and the UN experts have strongly urged Pakistan to uphold its obligations in respect to Article 18 of the ICCPR and prohibit forced conversions . It is notwithstanding the right of children to freedom of thought , conscience and religion in accordance with the Article 14 of the Convention of the Rights of the children , change of religion or belief — in all circumstances must be free , without coercion and inducement. Pakistan is supposed to behave like a civilized state and dismantle its such infrastructure which works towards total decimation of its Hindu and other religious minorities. If it cannot treat its minorities on any preferential basis the way India is doing which otherwise no one can dream of even, but at least, it must arrange containing its agencies and elements that resort to such persecution of and cruelty to religious minorities.
On the other hand, it has yet to dismantle its terror infrastructure and manufacturing of terror ”products” , a severe international pressure in the form of the likes of FATF is paramount to pressurise Pakistan to treat its minorities (whatever number now left ) on equality and by imparting justice . Its severe economic crisis and bankruptcy are well known , it is astonishing that still it indulges in undesirable and unwarranted activities all aimed against Hindus , other religious minorities and mainly against this country. While writing these lines, its sponsored ghastly terror attack on lunch taking innocent workers at a site in Kashmir martyring seven and critically injuring five speaks of its intrinsic desire to keeping the terror pot simmering . It can agreeably feel envious of how democracy triumphed in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and how popular government was formed which has started functioning but it must not nurse utmost frustration, dejection, unwarranted anger and total humiliating defeat of its over three decades’ armed insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir which no doubt wrought havoc with life and property , in particular an entire ethnic minority , the indigenous inhabitants of Kashmir – the Kashmiri Hindus forcibly driven out but it could neither win nor take an inch of Jammu and Kashmir nor break the spirit of people of this UT to strengthen Indian democracy. Let Pakistan now learn to behave or else it shall surely come to grief , sooner than later.

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