Lahore: The Pakistan government has finally acknowledged reports that dozens of Hindu families have migrated to India, saying that members of the minority community left Pakistan for a better future.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Minorities Affairs Dr Paul Bhatti said there was no legal restriction on any minority member to avail such opportunity, reports the Daily Times. Bhatti is a member of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP), as well as the chairman of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA).
Approximately 4.2 million Hindus, 3.9 million Christians, 16,000 Sikhs and thousands of other minorities' members, including Ahmedis, are living in Pakistan. According to a newspaper report published in August 2012, around 7,000 to 10,000 Pakistani Hindus left the country in the last two years because of feudalism, class system, religious discrimination, forced conversion, forced marriages and poor law and order situation in their areas.
Taking notice of the reports, President Asif Ali Zardari constituted a parliamentary committee comprising Senator Maula Bux Chandio, MNA Lal Chand and Senator Hari Ram Kishori Lal to investigate the issues of Hindus, but the committee observed in its findings and report to the president that there was no mass migration of Hindus from the country.
However, Bhatti accepted the fact that around 50 Pakistani Hindu families have left for India for a better future, but said that the families were not satisfied with the conditions in India. He did not say that the Hindu migration was being caused by any injustice with them in Pakistan, and clarified that there was no restriction on any member of the minority to move to the other country (India) if he sees a better future there.
(ANI)
First Published: Monday, February 04, 2013, 15:19