UK NRIs protest Pakistan’s ‘violence on minorities’

LONDON

: British Indians took part in a silent vigil across 40 towns and cities of the

UK

on Saturday as part of an appeal to end

violence

against

minorities

in Pakistan, especially Hindu girls.

Crowds gathered in cities likein Leicester, Edinburgh, Leeds and Slough, distributing pamphlets about the allegedly forced conversion of Hindu, Sikh and Christian girls in Pakistan.

“The situation of Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan is increasingly dire,” the organisers, Insight UK, a movement of British Hindu and Indian communities, told TOI. “They face regular kidnappings, forceful conversion, attacks and persecution. Each year over 1,000 minor Hindu girls are abducted, forced to convert, married to people twice or thrice of their age or pushed into the sex trade. Some seminaries teach that forcibly converting Hindu girls is equivalent to the greatest religious duty. Minorities in Pakistan face the threat of blasphemy laws.”



In 1947, Pakistan had a minority population of about 31%. Of these, around 24% — or 7.5 million — were Hindus. In 75 years, the minority population has dwindled to 4%, of which Hindus account for 1.6% or 2.5 million people, Insight UK said.

The organisation is lobbying with British MPs to raise its concerns with Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, minister for

South Asia

. It wants the UK government to raise the issue with Pakistan and urge the Indian government to ensure that citizenship applications of minorities from Pakistan who’ve taken refuge in India are expedited.