Pakistani Bhil community being maltreated in India: Report
Islamabad: The Pakistani Hindu Bhil community, living in various camps in India, is being maltreated and living in poor condition.
A report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said approximately 60,000 Pakistani Hindus are staying in various camps inside India, including eight camps in New Delhi, eight in Gujarat, six in Uttar Pradesh, fifteen in Rajasthan, four in Assam, three in Chhattisgarh and six in Madhya Pradesh. The Indian media should expose the evil face of Modi’s government and urge the international community to intervene and force India to do the needful for the well-being of these Hindus.
The report said that many Hindu families from Pakistan immigrated to India but the treatment they received made them realize that the grass was not as green as perceived at the other side of the border.
It said Hundreds of Hindu families who left Pakistan in the past decade, allured by the Indian government’s promises of citizenship and work, have either been living in tent settlements in New Delhi or have returned back home due to the lack of access to basic services and the Indian government’s empty promises. One such family is that of Pyaru Shawani, a resident of Mithi, Tharparkar.
“I spent two years in India but my longing to go back to Pakistan eventually won. India is okay to live in when one is a guest but staying there permanently is a massive challenge,” Pyaru Shawani said, adding that there was no place like home, the report said.
It said Faqiroo Khachi, who went to India along with his family and 46 other Hindus, moved back to Pakistan in December of 2020 and shares Shawani’s feelings.
“We went for a religious pilgrimage but our relatives in India forced us to stay back and start a new life. It was a dreadful experience,” recalled Faqiroo Khachi, according to the report. He said, “We stayed in a tent settlement and everyone would refer to us as Pakistanis and look down upon us. Some would even call us terrorists because we wore shalwar kameez. Overall it was a dreadful time,” it added.
As per the Hindu families, the report said, who have recently returned from India, the Pakistanis who do stay back live in immigrant camps, most of which are in Jodhpur and are in dire condition. It said the Pakistani Hindu families do not get access to medical facilities, have to queue up for hours to get water, and the children are not admitted to schools.
