The Pakistan Coalition for Religious Minorities (PCRM) will launch a protest campaign against Sindh Minority Affairs Minister Dr Mohan Lal Kohistani for “not taking any interest in the increasing kidnapping of Hindus throughout the province”.
The PCRM – a newly established representative body of Pakistani Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Ahmedis and other religious minorities of the country – termed these incidents as a conspiracy against religious minorities and expressed disappointment over the ministry’s silence even after 48 cases of kidnapping for ransom, murders, forced conversion in the last six months alone.
“With the passing of each day, cases are increasing in which religious minorities in general and particularly Hindu professionals including doctors, nurses, engineers, businessmen and shopkeepers are being kidnapped for ransom, but the government does nothing for their release,” said PCRM leader Babu Mahesh Lakhani.
Talking to a group of journalists on Friday, Lakhani warned that if government authorities fail to ensure the safe recovery of the kidnapped Hindus, his organisation will stage a sit-in in front of the Chief Minister’s House in Karachi.
“Dr Kohistani has proved that he is useless. Therefore, we demand his immediate removal, otherwise another movement will be launched for his ousting,” said Lakhani. Furthermore, the data collected by PCRM shows that currently there are around 48 Hindus in the custody of bandits and PPP is doing nothing for their recovery.
Lakhani claimed that a cardiologist Dr Amar Lal Khatri was murdered recently in Jacobabad district, but the police declared that he had committed suicide and the same happened with Dr Pooran Das, who was also murdered but the police closed the case without any investigation.
“Many Hindus were recently kidnapped and murdered in the northern districts of Sindh, Mirpurkhas division and Karachi, but we are surprised that government took no notice of these incidents,” Lakhani added.
