Hindu population in Pakistan plummets from 14.6% before Partition to under 2% | Gravitas

Pakistan's human rights record has often come under criticism at international forums. Now, a new report by Britain-based advocacy group Insight UK has highlighted what it describes as the systematic persecution of Hindus in Pakistan.

The report was launched before the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus in London. According to the report, demographic changes serve as a stark indication of the situation in Pakistan.

It pointed out that Hindus accounted for nearly 17 per cent of the population in the area that now comprises Pakistan in 1901. Their share stood at 14.6 per cent in 1941, according to the census, but has reportedly fallen to less than two per cent today.

The advocacy group also claimed that more than 1,000 women and girls from Hindu and Christian communities are abducted every year, forcibly converted to Islam and often married to their captors.

The report further flagged the alleged promotion of anti-Hindu bias in Pakistani school textbooks, arguing that prejudice begins at an early age.

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Hindus have also faced violence in Pakistan on several occasions, including during Partition and in the aftermath of wars with India. The report also cited several attacks on Hindu temples in Karachi, Larkana and other parts of Sindh.

In response to these concerns, Insight UK urged the British government to raise minority protection standards in its discussions with Islamabad. It also called on the UK to allocate a portion of its aid to human rights organisations in Pakistan.

The group further demanded periodic official reports documenting the socio-economic conditions of religious minorities in Pakistan and called for asylum pathways for those seeking protection.