Atrocities against minorities in Pak: EAM Jaishankar cites numbers, says closely monitoring

His remarks came during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha amid the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament. Jaishankar highlighted India's firm stance on the issue, stating that concerns about the treatment of minorities in Pakistan have been raised at the United Nations to bring global attention to the matter

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Friday asserted that India is closely monitoring the atrocities against Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan and is raising these issues on international platforms.

His remarks came during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha amid the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament. Jaishankar highlighted India’s firm stance on the issue, stating that concerns about the treatment of minorities in Pakistan have been raised at the United Nations to bring global attention to the matter.

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“We track very closely the treatment of minorities in Pakistan. As an example, I would like to apprise the House that, just in the month of February, there were 10 cases of atrocities against the Hindu community. Seven of them related to abduction and forcible conversion. Two related to the abduction. One related to police action against students who were celebrating Holi,” he said.

The EAM further detailed cases of violence against other minority communities. “There were three incidents relating to the Sikh community in Pakistan. In one case, a Sikh family was attacked. In another case, a Sikh family was threatened because of the reopening of an old Gurdwara. There was also an abduction and conversion issue with one girl from that community,” he noted.

Pointing out the violations against the Ahmadiyya and Christian communities in the Islamic country, EAM Jaishankar said, “There were two cases pertaining to the Ahmadiyya community. In one case, a mosque was sealed, and in another, 40 graves were desecrated. There was also one case involving a Christian individual, who was reportedly mentally unstable, being charged with blasphemy.”

Emphasising India’s response on global forums, the EAM recalled two recent instances where Indian representatives strongly criticised Pakistan’s human rights record. “In the month of February, our representative at the UN Human Rights Council pointed out that Pakistan is a country where ‘human rights abuses, persecution of minorities, and systematic erosion of democratic values constitute state policies.’

Pakistan brazenly harbours UN-sanctioned terrorists and is in no position to lecture anyone. Instead, it should focus on providing actual governance and justice to its own people,” he quoted. Jaishankar also referred to India’s stance at the UN General Assembly, where India’s ambassador highlighted Pakistan’s “fanatical mindset” and its “record of bigotry.”