Hindus and Christians, making up a small fraction of Pakistan’s population, face severe persecution, despite numbering 1.2 billion and 2.4 billion globally, respectively. These religious minorities account for just over 3% of Pakistan’s total population and endure violence, harassment, and forced conversions.
Kashmiri activist Javed Beigh highlighted these ongoing human rights violations in a recent post on X. He pointed out that Christian churches and Hindu temples are frequently attacked, defaced, or destroyed. Additionally, young girls from these communities are often kidnapped and forcibly married.
Beigh’s post also brought attention to the plight of Dalit Christians in Punjab and Dalit and Adivasi Hindus in Sindh, who are often pushed into degrading jobs such as manual scavenging due to systemic caste-based discrimination.
Despite these grave human rights abuses, the global Christian community has largely remained silent. Beigh noted that none of the 157 Christian-majority nations, including the United States, Brazil, and Russia, have publicly condemned Pakistan’s treatment of its Christian minority. Even in India, where there are significant Christian populations in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and the Northeast, there has been little public outcry over the issue.
Javed Beigh, who also serves as India’s ambassador to the United Nations, recently addressed the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. He emphasized the importance of raising awareness about the persecution of Hindus and Christians in Pakistan.
In his statement, Beigh criticized the global Muslim community for selectively addressing human rights issues. He pointed out that while many are vocal about Palestine, they often ignore the suffering of non-Muslim minorities in Muslim-majority nations or even the oppression faced by Shia Muslims in various countries.
“The hypocrisy is evident,” Beigh stated in his post. “The world speaks loudly about injustices in Palestine but remains silent on the plight of Hindus, Christians, Shias, and Baloch people facing oppression in Muslim-majority countries.”
The situation remains dire for religious minorities in Pakistan, with international intervention and condemnation still lacking.
