Pakistan is a nemesis of Humanity and especially for the minority community. We have seen unprecedented incidents where people from the minority communities were targeted under Islamic blasphemy laws and they were either jailed for life or executed or killed in other ways.
In a recent such case, an eight-year-old Hindu boy has been held by police in Pakistan after becoming the youngest person in history to be charged with blasphemy in the country. The Hindu boy is accused of intentionally urinating on a carpet in the library of a madrassa. The place where many religious books were kept caused a massive uproar among the religious fanatics. They slapped evil blasphemy charges against the poor boy, which carries the death penalty.
Since this news broke, the boy’s family is in hiding, and many of the Hindu communities in the Rahim Yar Khan district have fled their homes, as a Muslim mob attacked a Hindu temple after the boy’s release on bail last week. Pakistani Troops were deployed to the area to quell any further unrest, and more than 20 people were arrested in connection with the temple attack.
Hindu community is in a state of shock and bewilderment, and they are unable to cope with this situation as they are unable to grasp what crime that poor boy has committed and why he had been kept in jail for a week.
Hindus live in constant fear of Muslim backlash and have already left their work, shops, and other establishments. Many Hindus have openly said that they are not going to return to their homes, and they have no faith in the Pakistani Judicial and Social system, which is unable to take any sort of action against such religious fanatics even in the past.
Blasphemy Laws of Pakistan – A well-planned conspiracy against minorities
When Pakistan was separated from India in 1947, it declared itself as an Islamic nation and since then it has become a hell for all the other minorities. The previous Pakistani Governments have made several blasphemous laws, such as Section 295C of Pakistan’s Penal Code, which carries a mandatory death sentence for blasphemy.
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are vague, coercive, and overbroad in nature. The laws are framed in such a way that they abuse and violate Pakistan’s international legal obligations to respect and protect human rights, including freedom of religion, opinion, and expression.
Hindus community constitutes Pakistan’s largest non-Muslim minority, and the number of Hindus is estimated at between 2%-4% of the total population. We have seen many instances where Muslims are abusing the blasphemous laws to take revenge against Hindus.
Well, there is a long history of abuse of blasphemy laws against Hindus and other minority communities, but this case marks an extreme and shocking departure. The biggest irony is that all this brouhaha is happening when Pakistan is celebrating its National Minorities Day in Pakistan.
Miseries of Hindus in Pakistan
Hindus are undoubtedly the most abused community in Pakistan. Attacks on Hindu temples have increased in the last few years, which shows an escalating trend of fanaticism and extremism against them. The recent temple attack proves that they might be a new wave of persecution of Hindus.
A Footage circulated on social media showing an angry Muslim mob vandalizing and destroying a Hindu temple with iron bars and sticks last week. In December 2020, another Hindu temple was set on fire in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, past that the local administration halted the construction of that Hindu temple and nearby community center.
Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, condemned the mob attack and said he had ordered the provincial police chief to take action against anyone involved, including negligent police officers. He promised the government would restore the temple. As far as India is concerned, India’s external affairs ministry summoned a Pakistani diplomat to protest over the attack and demand the safety of Hindu families living in Muslim-majority Pakistan.
As per the US Commission on International Religious Freedoms report, that was published last year, Pakistan reported the highest number of incidents of mob violence, religious mob activity, and threats of mob violence as a result of alleged blasphemous acts against the minorities.
What’s the outcome?
The world is reacting angrily and there are several Nations, groups, and organizations that have condemned this act of religious bigotry against an innocent 8 years old Hindu boy. Though we can not expect much from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the least they can do is dropping of ludicrous charges against that boy.
Pakistan’s authorities must immediately provide adequate protection for the boy, his family, and the entire Hindu community reeling under the constant fear of religious onslaught. The people and religious mullahs, who have committed this henious crime should also be held accountable and punished.
At the same time, the global powers should exert their powers to push Pakistan to repeal these pernicious laws and legislation. It is a hard truth that Pakistan’s minorities are under sustained attack, and a death sentence to an 8 years old Hindu boy demonstrates the persecution Hindus and other minorities are facing under the Islamic laws of Pakistan.
Hindus across the Globe and particularly in India are in deep slumber and no one knows when they will awake.Till then,these sorts of atrocities will be unleashed against them.When Islamic law is so stringent,why Hindus keep quiet without making the laws more stringent?If Pakistan is so a bane of Humanity,why the International communities remain silent spectators without any reactions to the atrocities?The Muslim fanatics are more concerned with their religion,with inhumane tendencies and assuming high handedness to contain any upsurge against any Muslim,or Islam.The same situations will be faced by the Majority of Hindus who are made minorities in India.All politicians inspite of being Hindus themselves,try to appease Muslims in great fear for them.As long as this tendency continues,all muslims will find it a safe haven to dictate terms on Hindus,trampling them under their feet!