KARACHI – The provincial government has decided to merge the Sindh Minority Affairs Ministry with the Religious Affairs Ministry due to the inefficacy of Sindh Minority Affairs Minister Mohan Lal Kohistani, said Pakistan Hindu Foundation (PHF) President DM Maharaj.
The PHF chief said that this decision regarding the Minority Affairs Ministry – constituted by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government three years ago – could adversely affect the religious minorities of the province. The Sindh government has also decided reinstating Kohistani even when the decision to reduce the size of the provincial cabinet has been made to implement the 18th Amendment, he said.
“Minority leaders would to launch a series of protests against both the controversial government decisions,” he added. Maharaj said that leaders of the Hindu, Christian and Sikh communities attended a meeting organised by the PHF on Monday and criticised Kohistani for bringing a bad name to the ruling PPP through massive corruptions in disbursement of funds.
The minority leaders said that Kohistani has done nothing for development of the religious minorities of the province. Maharaj said that kidnapping-for-ransom cases of Hindus in Sindh recently increased to such an alarming level that most Hindus decided to migrate to India because they were not provided any protection by the Minority Affairs minister.
“Whenever a Hindu, Christian, Parsi or Sikh contacted Kohistani to request security for their religious festivals or other gatherings, the minister always refused to make security arrangements and often remained absent from his office,” he said. The Sindh government had announced in May last year that the religious minorities in the province – including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists and Bah
