Oppression of minorities in Pakistan

arun · Post by **arun** » 22 Nov 2011 10:36

X Posted from the “Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide” thread.

In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, self-claimed to have been created as a safe haven for the Mohammaddens of the Indian Sub-Continent, being a Mohammadden is not sufficient to gain immunity from persecution with the persecution of the minority Baloch people by the Punjabi dominated security forces continuing unabated.

Bodies bearing torture marks recovered:

Two bullet-riddled bodies found in Pasni

arun · Post by **arun** » 22 Nov 2011 10:37

X Posted from the “Baluchistan: The Story of Another Pakistan Military Genocide” thread..

Ploy of the Punjabi dominated security forces of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to cover up their genocidal practices in Balochistan by bribing the relatives of their Baloch victims to silence, is foiled:

Justice, not money: relatives reject govt compensation

Upendra · Post by **Upendra** » 22 Nov 2011 18:22

‘Insecurity and fear grip Hindus in Pak’

arun · Post by **arun** » 27 Nov 2011 09:09

How is it halal in an “Islamic Republic”, an “Ideological Muslim State” and a “safe haven” for the Mohammaddens of the Indian Sub-Continent to impose a curfew on days of religious significance to the Mohammadden religion, more particularly a day of religious significance to the minority Shia Mohammadden sect?

Dera to remain under curfew on Ashura

arun · Post by **arun** » 04 Dec 2011 16:24

In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a country self- claimed to have been created to provide a homeland for the Mohammaddens of the Indian Sub-Continent , members of the minority Shia sect find out that Pakistan may not after all be the safe haven it was made out to be. A roundup of the violence heaped on the Shia’s by their Sunni co-religionists in the month of November:

Eleven Shia martyred in November, 2011 in Pakistan

arun · Post by **arun** » 04 Dec 2011 16:30

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a country self- claimed to have been created to provide a homeland for the Mohammaddens of the Indian Sub-Continent is lectured by the “Kaafir” Human Rights Watch on the need to protect Mohammaddens belonging to minority sects:

Pretty shameful that Kaafir’s need to lecture Momin in order to drum in the ethical value that it is not correct to kill fellow members of the Ummah for simply belonging to minority sects:

Prevent Targeted Killings of Shia Muslims

hulaku · Post by **hulaku** » 14 Dec 2011 10:57

Targeting minorities: Abducted Hindu trader found dead near Quetta

QUETTA: A 24-year-old Hindu businessman, abducted for ransom about 50 days ago, was found dead near the Western Bypass near Quetta, the police said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission Pakistan, Balochistan chapter, expressed its serious concern over the increasing incidents of kidnapping for ransom, particularly targeting minorities. “Hindus have stopped sending their children to school since they have become vulnerable to kidnapping for ransom,” said Tahir Hussain, chairman HRCP Balochistan.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/306035/kidn ... ar-quetta/

Altair · Post by **Altair** » 17 Dec 2011 02:51

http://sindhudesh-freedom-movement.blog ... ity-i.html

Not sure the link belongs here but it is worth a place in BRF.

arun · Post by **arun** » 17 Dec 2011 22:29

X Posted. Farhat Taj exposes the machinations of the dominant Punjabis of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to supress the minority Pathans / Pakhtuns.

SSridhar wrote:From Ms. Farhat Taj's op-ed in DT, "Human Rights in FATA"
Violation of human rights multiplied following the US-led war on terror during which a managed chaos has been created to hide the terror sanctuaries of the Pakistani state proxies, the Taliban. Pakistan’s double dealing in the war on terror, ostensibly fighting the Taliban but tacitly entrenching them in FATA, has led to death, damage and human displacement on a large scale. Both the Taliban and the Pakistan Army have violated the tribal people’s right to life by killing and injuring thousands of people. Both the Taliban and the Pakistan Army have bombed schools, colleges, health centres and drinking water supply systems in the area.
A very important point on how the so-called liberals are in fact 'illiberals' when it comes to India
Another issue with adverse human rights implications in FATA is that many Pakistani liberals have a discriminatory approach towards human rights. They stand up for women and minority rights in Pakistan but at the same time support the military establishment’s policy of strategic depth in Afghanistan, the key cause of gross human rights violations in FATA as well as Afghanistan. They do not treat the human rights violations of the Pakhtuns on both sides of the Durand Line at par with the human rights violation of women and minorities in mainstream Pakistan. The latter is seen as a priority and the former can wait indefinitely in pursuit of strategic depth. A good example of this Pakistani liberal mindset can be seen in a report prepared jointly by a Pakistani and an American think tank. In complete disregard of the ground realities as well as human rights of the terrorism-hit Pakhtun, the report conflates the entire Pakhtun nation with the Taliban and asks for the accommodation of Afghan militants, hosted, nurtured, trained and armed by Pakistan as its proxies, in the future government setup of Afghanistan. This is the strategic depth policy of the military establishment of Pakistan. Several of the leading Pakistani liberals prominent in the media and civil society contributed in making this anti-Pakhtun and pro-military establishment report.

arun · Post by **arun** » 24 Dec 2011 07:33

In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan the plight of those who have been relegated to the rank of dhimmis:

Pakistani Christians Face Alienation, Discrimination This Christmas

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 24 Dec 2011 16:25

X-post from TSP thread

Hindus in Pakistan protest against kidnapping for ransom

Pakistan's minority Hindus protested outside Balochistan provincial assembly in Quetta against increasing incidents of abduction of community members for ransom in the province, close on the heels of a young trader's murder after his family failed to pay money to his kidnappers.

The Hindus staged the protest yesterday after marching through different parts of the city, a month after organising similar rallies in Sindh following the killing of three Hindu doctors in Shikarpur district there.

"We are fed up with the increasing incidents of kidnapping for ransom of our community members and the shameful thing is the authorities don't cooperate or listen to our woes," Mohan Chand, a member of the local Hindu Panchayat, said.

The protesters in the city, including children, carried placards and banners inscribed with slogans demanding protection from criminals.

The Hindus' protest in Balochistan came after the killing of Ravi Kumar, a young trader whose bullet-riddled body was found in Quetta after his family failed to pay the ransom money to his abductors.

The members of the Hindu community raised slogans against the government for its failure to protect the minority communities.

Provincial Minister for Minorities Basant Lal Gulshan and Minister for Revenue Zamurkh Khan Achakzai addressed the protesting Hindus and tried to pacify them.

Achakzai said the law enforcing agencies were constantly striving against the kidnapping gangs operating in Quetta and other parts of the province.

"Police have booked many suspects and also carrying out raids in different localities, including Saryab and Pashtunabad areas of Quetta. Soon, the criminals will be brought to book," he ensured.

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 25 Dec 2011 04:02

Christmas in Pakistan – how it once was

A large chunk of Pakistan’s Christian community has migrated to the West in search of a better standard of living, job opportunities and better security, resulting in relatively smaller Christmas gatherings.

Even a day that is supposed to spread happiness evokes a sense of fear amongst the Church-goers. “There are times when even I get this strange feeling that I might not be able to leave the church alive, after the mass ends.”

AoA!

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 26 Dec 2011 03:36

I hope people watch this video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de5Y68JX ... re=related

arun · Post by **arun** » 26 Dec 2011 07:59

Persecution of members belonging to the majority Mohammadden religion though of the minority Ahmadi / Ahmadiyya / Ahmedi sect in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:

Harassment: Three Ahmedis accused under blasphemy laws

arun · Post by **arun** » 03 Jan 2012 10:51

In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a country self- claimed to have been created to provide a homeland for the Mohammaddens of the Indian Sub-Continent , members of the minority Shia sect find out that Pakistan may not after all be the safe haven it was made out to be in New Year’s Eve Green on Green violence in Karachi:

Target killing: Shia leader’s murder sparks protest in Karachi

Subsequent arrests confirm the killing was a case of Green on Green violence with the Shia leader being killed by fellow Mohammadden adherents of the majority Sunni sect:

ASWJ chief, 3 others booked in Shia leader’s murder case

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 03 Jan 2012 10:58

arun wrote:Persecution of members belonging to the majority Mohammadden religion though of the minority Ahmadi / Ahmadiyya / Ahmedi sect in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:

Harassment: Three Ahmedis accused under blasphemy laws

I like they way reporter tries to insure himself

Sajeel Ahmed, 18, of Khushab was accused of making derogatory remarks about the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in a first information report (FIR)

Everytime anyone mentions Phub in the Land of the pure, they must dreading being accused of blasphemy when their tongue slips.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 04 Jan 2012 08:32

anupmisra wrote:A Hindu lawyer is missing and police refuse to register the case claiming that the abduction of Hindus is of no consequence.

We can except the same treatment of Hindus in parts Kashmir, WB, Assam , Northern Kerala.

arun · Post by **arun** » 15 Jan 2012 16:55

Green on Green sectarian violence in the commercial capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with members of the minority Shia Mohammadden sect being predated upon:

Shia man shot dead

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 16 Jan 2012 04:22

http://www.dawn.com/2012/01/14/turn-the-tables.html
Turn the tables

Well, let me ease your pain, here’s what really happened:On Saturday evening a group of men attacked a church in Manghopir, they slapped the children, ransacked the church, kicked the altar which had the bible on it, smashed and broke the loud speakers and threatened and accused the children of disrupting prayers.How dare the children sing carols while they prayed? No FIR was registered; instead the Christian community apologised to the attackers.It should all make sense now the apathy. The absence of outrage, the fear of death that forced the victims to apologise to their attackers, it all fits in just perfectly.There’s no need for an outrage, no action should be taken against the attackers because it must have been the fault of the ‘choora’ Christian children who must have deliberately been singing carols loudly to disturb the prayers.The joyous little kids preparing for mass were faced by an angry mob carrying an axe. Their cheerful singing turned into frightened whimpers. They may never sing carols again. Good riddance!We must also applaud the Imam Sahab who brought both community leaders to reconcile. Reconcile they must. The Christians should tell their children to not deliberately disrupt prayers, to not use the mic and loudspeakers for a few hours once a week as an excuse to disrupt the concentration of the pious Muslim men as they pray, they must be careful. Next time they plan on singing carols, they must shut the doors and windows of the church tightly so that their devious ways do not interfere with the sacred.

arun · Post by **arun** » 16 Jan 2012 07:42

Oppression of Kaafir Dhimmi’s in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Government of the Province of Punjab demolishes a Church:

Christians protest Church demolition

arun · Post by **arun** » 16 Jan 2012 07:47

In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a country self- claimed to have been created to provide a homeland for the Mohammaddens of the Indian Sub-Continent , members of the minority Shia sect find out that Pakistan may not after all be the safe haven for Mohamaddens it was made out to be.

What is it in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan that frequently incites one sect of Mohammaddens to commit acts of violence targeting another sect of Mohammaddens on days that are of religious significance for the Mohammadden religion? :

Pakistan bomb kills 16 in Shiite procession

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 19 Jan 2012 09:13

Pakistani Hindus fear forced conversion of young girls

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16599534

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 20 Jan 2012 08:45

Surasena wrote:Pakistani Hindus fear forced conversion of young girls

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16599534

Hindu girls are being forcefully converted and the courts do not care. Watch this sad case.

arun · Post by **arun** » 27 Jan 2012 08:35

In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a country self- claimed to have been created to provide a homeland for the Mohammaddens of the Indian Sub-Continent , members of the minority Shia sect find out that Pakistan may not after all be the safe haven for Mohamaddens it was made out to be.

Karachi once again on verge of sectarian violence: Three Shia lawyers gunned down

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 28 Jan 2012 15:26

Muslims and minorities
by Irfan Husain

Pakistan has an appalling record of not convicting zealots who have killed so many non-Muslims in the past.

...judging by the level of religion-fuelled madness we witness everyday in Pakistan, our leaders are incapable of human feelings, except that of greed.

...we treat our minorities neither equally nor fairly. Indeed, we don`t even pretend to.

According to human rights organisations, Pakistan is among the most brutal countries when it comes to the treatment of minorities.

Across the Muslim world, Christians are under attack from Muslims.

Nevertheless, we are constantly and deeply sensitive to all real and perceived wrongs meted out to Muslims in the West. `Islamophobia` is regularly trotted out in our criticism of foreign countries Muslims have opted to settle in.

I still recall a TV programme in which a Pakistani Sikh recounted how he was sitting by a stream, cooling his feet on a hot day, when a passing Muslim insisted he pull them out of the water because he was polluting it. Similarly, for generations, Christians and Hindus have been served in separate cups and plates at roadside eating-places across the country. Sweepers in homes are always given water in glasses nobody else uses.

If Muslims were similarly treated in the West, imagine the outcry

arun · Post by **arun** » 29 Jan 2012 12:46

Change in the flavour of Green on Green violence in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with a Shia Doctor joining Shia Lawyers as victim.

For a country self- claimed to have been created to provide a homeland for the Mohammaddens of the Indian Sub-Continent , members of the minority Shia sect are certainly finding out that the Islamic Republic of Pakistan may not after all be the safe haven for Mohamaddens it was made out to be:

Former Imambargah trustee killed in Karachi

arun · Post by **arun** » 02 Feb 2012 20:50

Statistics on the slaughter of Mohammaddens of the minority Shia / Shiite sect by their co-religionists in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan during the month of January:

58 Shiites Killed, 67 Injured In 32 Attacks In Pakistan During January 2012

arun · Post by **arun** » 09 Feb 2012 08:50

The Asian Human Rights Commission on the repression of Mohammaddens of the minority Shia sect by their Sunni Mohammadden co-religionists in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:

PAKISTAN: Brutal sectarian violence against Shias continues unabated

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 09 Feb 2012 11:22

Bravo anther brave act by the GHQ Khakis of Rawalpindi

Nawab Bugti’s kin killed in high-security Karachi area

arun · Post by **arun** » 17 Feb 2012 20:27

X Posted from the TSP thread.

anishns wrote:IED Mubarak!!!

Pakistan suicide attack kills 23

PESHAWAR: A suicide attacker on a motorcycle blew himself up in a market in a Pakistani town close to the Afghan border on Friday, killing 23 Shiite Muslims and wounding 50 people, officials said.

What is it about the Islamic Republic of Pakistan that the Mohammadden Sabbath of Friday frequently sees incidents of green on green sectarian violence?

Meanwhile the death toll in this Fridays incident of Mohammaddens of the Sunni sect exterminating their co-religionists of the minority Shia sect has climbed to 26:

Sectarian attack kills at least 26 in Pakistan

arun · Post by **arun** » 17 Feb 2012 20:35

In Karachi yet another Shia Mohammadden is reported as being killed in a case of green on green intra-Mohammadden blood-letting:

‘Sectarian attack’ leaves man dead

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 27 Feb 2012 11:07

Hindu girl kidnapped, forced to convert in Pakistan
Published: Monday, Feb 27, 2012, 0:31 IST
Place: ISLAMABAD | Agency: PTI

A Hindu girl was kidnapped and allegedly forced to convert in Pakistan's southern Sindh province on Sunday, prompting President Asif Ali Zardari to direct authorities to investigate the incident.

Reports said the Hindu girl was kidnapped from Mirpur Mathelo in Ghotki district.

Officials said President Zardari had taken "serious note" of reports of the girl being kidnapped and allegedly forced to convert by some influential persons of the area.

The President had called for a report on the incident from the Sindh government, officials said.

Zardari also called for "transparent and expeditious investigations" in the matter and for action in accordance with the law, regardless of the influence and status of anyone involved in the criminal activity, the officials said.

Sindh has a sizeable population of Hindus, who are the largest minority community in Pakistan.

Hindus account for less than five per cent of Pakistan's total population of about 180 million.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_hi ... an_1655378

arun · Post by **arun** » 28 Feb 2012 13:27

X Posted.

Arun Roperia wrote:18 dead and 8 wounded in Pakistan bus ambush

The bus was carrying passengers from Rawalpindi, the city where the Pakistani army is headquartered, to the northern city of Gilgit. The motive was unclear as Islamist militants are not active in the area, police said.

The ambush happened near the town of Harban, 130 miles (208 kilometres) north of the capital Islamabad.

Anujan wrote:Motive was unclear huh? My guess is that they committed the crime of being Shia.

Chalk the motive down to usual Green on Green inter-sectarian Mohammadden violence in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with the “More Pure” culling the “Less Pure”.

As you have currently surmised, the BBC citing Reuters is reporting that all the victims of this attack in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan were Mohammaddens of the Shia sect. The BBC citing Reuters is also reporting that the location at which the attack took place is dominated by Mohammaddens of the Sunni sect. :

A police spokesman told Reuters news agency that all the victims were from the minority Shia community and that the bus was passing through an area dominated by Sunni tribes.

BBc

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 29 Feb 2012 04:52

Pakistan's Hindu Girls Forced into Muslim Marriages
Written by IRIN
TUESDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2012

Girls are lured away from their families and forced into conversions

Sixteen-year-old Ameena Ahmed*, now living in the town of Rahim Yar Khan in Pakistan’s Punjab Province, does not always respond when her mother-in-law calls out to her.  

“Even after a year of `marriage’ I am not used to my new name. I was called Radha before,” she told IRIN on a rare occasion when she was allowed to go to the corner shop on her own to buy vegetables.  

Ameena, or Radha as she still calls herself, was abducted from Karachi about 13 months ago by a group of young men who offered her ice-cream and a ride in their car. Before she knew what was happening, she was dragged into a larger van, and driven to an area she did not know.  

She was then pressured into signing forms which she later found meant she was married to Ahmed Salim, 25; she was converted to a Muslim after being asked to recite some verses in front of a cleric. She was obliged to wear a veil. Seven months ago, Ameena, who has not seen her parents or three siblings since then and “misses them a lot”, moved with her new family to southern Punjab.  

"The abduction and kidnapping of Hindu girls is becoming more and more common," Amarnath Motumal, a lawyer and leader of Karachi’s Hindu community, told IRIN. “This trend has been growing over the past four or five years, and it is getting worse day by day.

Pakistan is one of several nations across Asia suffering from a shortage of females as sex-selective abortion has played growing role in the deficit. Portable ultrasound machines have made gender selection much easier. A 2005 study quoted by Wiki estimated that more than 90 million females were "missing" from the expected populations in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea and Taiwan alone.

He said there were at least 15-20 forced abductions and conversions of young girls from Karachi each month, mainly from the multi-ethnic Lyari area. The fact that more and more people were moving to Karachi from the interior of Sindh Province added to the dangers, as there were now more Hindus in Karachi, he said.  

“They come to search for better schooling, for work and to escape growing extremism,” said Motumal who believes Muslim religious schools are involved in the conversion business.  

“Hindus are non-believers. They believe in many gods, not one, and are heretics. So they should be converted,” said Abdul Mannan, 20, a Muslim student. He said he would be willing to marry a Hindu girl, if asked to by his teachers, “because conversions brought big rewards from Allah [God]. But later I will marry a `real’ Muslim girl as my second wife,” he said.  

According to local law, a Muslim man can take more than one wife, but rights activists argue that the law infringes the rights of women and needs to be altered.  

Motumal says Hindu organizations are concerned only with the “forced conversion” of girls under 18. “Adult women are of course free to choose,” he said.  

“Lured away”

Sunil Sushmt, 40, who lives in a village close to the city of Mirpurkhas in central Sindh Province, said his 14-year-old daughter was “lured away” by an older neighbour and, her parents believe, forcibly converted after marriage to a Muslim. “She was a child. What choice did she have?” her father asked. He said her mother still cries for her “almost daily” a year after the event.  

Sushmat is also concerned about how his daughter is being treated. “We know many converts are treated like slaves, not wives,” he said.  

According to official figures, Hindus based mainly in Sindh make up 2 percent of Pakistan’s total population of 165 million. “We believe this figure could be higher,” Motumal said.  

According to media reports, a growing number of Hindus have been fleeing Pakistan, mainly for neighbouring India. The kidnapping of girls and other forms of persecution is a factor in this, according to those who have decided not to stay in the country any longer.  

“My family has lived in Sindh for generations,” Parvati Devi, 70, told IRIN. “But now I worry for the future of my granddaughters and their children. Maybe we too should leave,” she said. “The entire family is seriously considering this.”  

 *not her real name  

(IRIN provides humanitarian news and analysis as a service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations.)

http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?o ... Itemid=189

A comment on the article:

Hindu girl got kidnapped from Mirpur Mathelo?
written by dhanesh, February 28, 2012
Hello can you please cover new story.

My cousin, Rinkal from Mirpur Mathelo, Sindh Pakistan was kidnapped few days back by four unknown guys from her home.
Mian Mohammad Aslam and his father Mian Abdul Haq (PPP MNA) are involved in kidnapping and she is in custody with them and they harassed her to convey that if she wants to save her parents life she should choose to convert religion and marry unknown guy.

After her parents lodged FIR against them, the couple was presented before the Ghotki second civil judge, Hassan Ali Kalwar, on Saturday. Even after she argued that she wants to go back to her parents, Judge decided to wait for 2 days for no reason and ordered her custody under SHO Mirpur Mathelo. Police didn't allow Rinkal to meet with her parents in those two days but Mian Aslam and his friends were allowed to meet her. They harassed her even in police custody.

And yesterday judge ordered that girl wants to change her religion and want to marry with naveed(worker at Sweets Shop). Judge even didn't allow girl to meet with her parents or any body from her family. There were 500-700 people in Court room all with guns and there was nobody from girl's family side.

Now hundred of people will take advantage of 18 year old girl and after that they sell her to somebody. Does any innocent girl who wanted to be doctor deserves that kind of life. Its third case in Daharki area and Mian Aslam and Mian Abdul Haq (PPP MNA) never miss any chance to show there power they even collect bhattas from every business in Daharki.

Dhanesh Kumar

arun · Post by **arun** » 29 Feb 2012 21:50

Arun Roperia wrote:18 dead and 8 wounded in Pakistan bus ambush

{Snipped}.....................

A case of the uniformed Jihadi’s of Army of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan living out the last part of its motto of " Iman, Taqwa, Jihad fi Sabilillah” or translated "Faith, Piety, Jihad in the path of Allah”?

The Asian Human Rights Council suspects the involvement of military personnel of the Mohammadden Sunni sect who make up the majority of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the slaughter of civilians of belonging to the minority Shia sect of Mohammaddenism in Kohistan.

Excerpts:

It is inconceivable in this day and age of modern communications, when every person owns a cell phone that the killers were able to operate on their own without any fear that they would be stopped at a military check post. This can only mean that they were military personnel themselves.

In Kohistan areas civilian movement is highly controlled and monitored by the military. The first question to be raised is as to how in such a highly military controlled and monitored area, the militants dressed in army uniforms and highly armed were able to stop the busses which were carrying mostly Shiite passengers and then shot them one by one after identifying them as Shiites.

Read it all:

PAKISTAN: The killing of Shias --it is hard to refute the accusation that the military was involved

BijuShet · Post by **BijuShet** » 01 Mar 2012 20:58

From "The News" (posting in full).
Another Hindu girl ‘forced to convert’

our correspondent - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - Karachi
Mangla Sharma of the Pakistan Hindu Council claimed on Wednesday that another Hindu girl had been kidnapped and forcibly converted a week ago in Mirpur Mathello.

This is not the first case of this nature as the community has been silently witnessing forcible conversion of their young girls for many months. Though the Pakistan Hindu Council does not have the latest figures, they believe that incidents of conversion are higher than reported in the media.

Rinkle, a 17-year-old girl as mentioned in the FIR, was kidnapped while going to school one day, claims her family. The girl was reportedly converted later and married off at a madrassa.

Three days ago, in her first statement after her kidnapping and conversion, Rinkle testified in front of the magistrate at a court in Deherki that she was forcibly converted and wanted to go back to her family. But Sharma says that rather than being sent to a Darul Aman, the girl was immediately sent to judicial custody until her statement was investigated.

What angered the family the most was that during her two days in judicial custody, she was not allowed to meet them, while the boy whom she was married off to was free to meet and speak to her.

Rochi Ram, a senior advocate of the Sindh High Court who has been witnessing the case for a week now, fears that Rinkle will eventually change her statement. He points out that such cases do not usually happen to people of, say, the Jatoi, Bugti or Marri clans. “It is always a poor man’s daughter,” and that is why he argues there is nothing anyone can do.

After observing the cases for a while now, Mangla Sharma says she waits for the same cycle to repeat itself. It is the same drill every time, she adds. A girl is kidnapped and converted at a madrassa and when the family creates an uproar the kidnappers produce a certificate that shows she has accepted Islam and ‘wants’ to be a Muslim.

Narrating the atmosphere at court, she says that as soon as the news of Rinkle’s conversion and marriage came out, a crowd comprising clerics and armed men gathered outside the court. As the men fired in the air, the boy made a victory sign for them while coming out of the court.

“If there is consent on both sides, why the need to protect her with arms?” she asks. Sharma points out that the look on the girl’s face shows that she is an unhappy bride. Minority MPA Pitamber Sewani, whose attempts to pass a resolution on forced conversions in the provincial assembly were held back on ‘legal grounds’, says that one needed to speak on the issue before it explodes in our faces.

Amarnath Motumel of the HRCP says the concerns of the community centre around the fact that the good deed of converting a girl also hides the purpose of trafficking her outside the country for prostitution. “I, for one, do not want to question a girl if she wants to marry someone outside her community, but when a forced conversion is portrayed as a love marriage, it is highly inappropriate,” he added. Twenty girls have been forcibly converted this month, according to the monthly report of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).

BijuShet · Post by **BijuShet** » 01 Mar 2012 21:02

From "The News" (posting in full).
Two employees of South Korean hospital kidnapped

our correspondent - Thursday, March 01, 2012 - Karachi

Two employees of a South Korea charity-run hospital were abducted by four gunmen in Orangi Town on Wednesday.

SHO Mohammad Sabir Hussain said Azek Masih and Simon Masih, both residents of Mehmoodabad, were kidnapped at around 10:30am in Sector 11½ of Orangi Town in the Pakistan Bazaar police limits.

After being called to the scene, police found a van surrounded by a crowd. The driver said he had picked Azek and Simon, both computer operators at the Good Samaritan Hospital, from Mehmoodabad. When the van was crossing the Pakistan Bazaar, four bearded men riding in a car with firearms intercepted the van, and forcibly shoved both Simon and Azek into their vehicle before driving off.

SP Ghulam Subhani of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell said it was premature to say anything about the motive behind the kidnappings as the criminals had not yet contacted anyone for ransom. “We have called for making the sketches of the kidnappers for recognition,” he added.

The SHO said the abductees were Pakistanis and had been working at the hospital for the past seven years. The police have mounted a search to track down the kidnappers and recover the hospital staffers.

Meanwhile, associations of medical professionals on Wednesday condemned the abduction of two Korean healthcare providers who were working for a private facility in the city. The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) denounced the abduction of a Korean doctor and a technician from Orangi Town.

“We demand quick and safe recovery of the doctor and the technician by the law-enforcing agencies,” PMA President Prof Idrees Adhi and other office-bearers of the association said in a statement.

AFP adds: Male nurse Austin John, a 30-year-old Pakistani, told AFP he had narrowly escaped being kidnapped along with his colleagues. “A blue car intercepted us and four men who looked Pashtun from the northwest came out. They ordered us to get out and asked: ‘Who is Korean among you?’” he said.

Their driver fled and the three hospital staff members were bundled towards the kidnappers’ car, John said. “But there wasn’t enough space and they dropped me. One of them said ‘shoot him in the back’ but I got unexpected courage and ran for safety behind the van and shouted for help. They fled,” he said.

The Good Samaritan Hospital treats mostly poor people and has been run by a South Korean charity for more than a decade, one of its doctors told AFP.

BijuShet · Post by **BijuShet** » 01 Mar 2012 21:53

From "Tribune" (posting in full).
Targeted attack: Ahmadi killed, grandson injured in S Benazirabad

An 80-year-old man, identified as Chaudhry Akram Arain, was shot dead.
By Z Ali - Published: March 1, 2012
HYDERABAD:
An 80-year-old man, identified as Chaudhry Akram Arain, was shot dead and his grandson, 18-year-old Muneeb Ahmad, was injured, near a relative’s house in Shaheed Benazirabad on Wednesday.

According to Iqbal Arain, Akram’s nephew, both men were on their way to Akram’s son-in-law’s shop when they were ambushed by two motorcyclists in Camp Two area of the district.

DSP Aijaz Memon said that they were looking into a possible motive for the attack but have so far ruled out a personal enmity. It follows a pattern of similar attacks against Ahmadis.

Akram and his family had relocated to Australia in 2001. He had returned three months ago on a visit, since his son and a daughter still lived in Shaheed Benazirabad.

The spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Rabwah, Saleemuddin, condemned the killing in a press statement and maintained that Arain was murdered because of his religious beliefs.

More than two weeks ago, two Ahmadis were killed outside their place of worship in Kunri taluka of Umerkot district.

The police arrested a suspect, Masroor Ahmed, on Tuesday, and a court has remanded him to police custody. A security guard identified as Idrees Shah, who worked at the place of worship, was detained on February 12.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2012.

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