Speakers express concern over ongoing mistreatment, HR violations of minorities in India
Islamabad: An awareness seminar, “Plight of Minorities in India, Kashmiri Muslims: The Contradiction of Minority and Majority,” was organized in Islamabad under the auspices of Pakistan minority organization, “Logos Foundation.”
According to Kashmir Media Service, the seminar was attended by leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir chapter, political, social and religious leaders, intellectuals, journalists, teachers, students and civil society representatives besides a large number of men and women.
The speakers of the seminar expressed deep concern over the mistreatment and serious human rights violations being committed against various minority communities residing in India, especially Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits and Adivasis.
They said in recent years, religious hatred, mob violence, attacks on places of worship, forced arrests and discriminatory laws have severely threatened the lives, property, honour and religious freedom of minorities across India.
The speakers of the seminar strongly condemned the recent incident of forcibly removing the niqab of a Muslim female doctor by the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, calling the incident not just an irresponsible act of an individual but a reflection of the anti-minority and discriminatory thinking that has grown under the patronage of the state in India.
They said that Indian Muslims were being subjected to violence by mobs, beaten to death, while the homes, mosques and business centers of minorities were systematically targeted. Similarly, they added, attacks on churches of the Christian community, harassment during worship and forced conversions reflect a worrying situation. Caste-based violence against Dalit and Adivasi communities, abuse of women and forced evictions are a big question mark on India’s democratic claims.
The speakers termed the destruction of over 300 churches and the killing of about 180 Christians in Manipur as an organized genocide. They said that the desecration of the Golden Temple in 1984, the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the construction of the Ram Temple in its place were clear examples of imposing supremacy on minorities under the Hindutva agenda.
They mentioned the deteriorating situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and said that despite being in the majority, Kashmiri Muslims were forced to endure treatment as a minority and India is pursuing a nefarious plan to change the population ratio in the territory.
Pastor Safir Akhtar in his address said when oppression reaches its peak, the hour of its end is near, adding this is what is visible in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He said the minority communities of Pakistan stand shoulder to shoulder with the Kashmiri people in their struggle for the right to self-determination.
APHC-AJK General Secretary Advocate Pervez Ahmed Shah addressing the seminar said despite the provisions of the Indian Constitution and laws for the protection of minorities, atrocities are being committed against minorities in practice, which is a clear proof of government patronage.
He said the world should play a role in giving Kashmiris their birthright to self-determination.
Sardar Ranjit Singh said the barbarity that started with the Golden Temple is being repeated in Kashmir today and tomorrow another minority can be targeted so that the Hindutva agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party is implemented.
APHC-AJK chapter Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi in his closing address said today’s event is a clear proof that the Kashmiri people are not alone in their struggle, but all the minority and majority communities of Pakistan are equal partners in their suffering.
He said that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had declared Kashmir as the jugular vein of Pakistan and it is the collective responsibility of all of us to turn this idea into reality.
Ghulam Muhammad Safi said the services of minority communities, especially Christians and Sikh communities, in education, health and social sectors in occupied Jammu and Kashmir are worthy of pride and the national and religious unity that has been demonstrated in Islamabad today needs to be continued in the future as well.
Former minister Wilson Wazir, Bishop Amanat Sutra, Sir Haroon, Dr Haroon Rafique and other speakers in their addresses also strongly condemned the ongoing atrocities against minorities in India and demanded of the international community to hold India accountable for serious violations of human rights.
During the seminar, students performed a Gujri song under the supervision of Miss Margaret Daniel, while an impressive tableau “Kashmir will become Pakistan” was also presented.
Other APHC-AJK leaders, who participated in the seminar, included Shamim Shawl, Sheikh Abdul Mateen, Ijaz Rehmani, Raja Shaheen, Zahid Safi, Sheikh Abdul Majid, Muhammad Shafi Dar and Muhammad Ashraf Dar.
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