Forced conversion of Hindus continues to rise in Pakistan

File Photo

New Delhi: As many as sixty gullible Hindus were forced to embrace Islam in the Malti town of Badin district of Pakistan, which has sent shockwaves among the human rights champions.

According to sources, the rich landlords where these poor Hindu families worked as ‘slaves’ were allured to Islam not only in exchange for their freedom but also on assurance of waiving off their debts. 

The man who orchestrated the conversion of Hindus is none other than the Chairman of Malti Municipal Committee Abdul Rauf Nizamani who has also uploaded a 58-second video on his Facebook page where a Muslim cleric is reciting ‘kalma’ (Islamic oath of allegiance)  to the Hindus and preaching to them the significance of Islam. 

“Alhamdulilah, today 60 people have embraced Islam under my guidance, please pray for them,” Rauf posted the comment along with the video.

However, the Hindu politicians of the Islamic nation think differently as they don’t see anything ‘forced’ behind the mass conversion of Hindus.  

Zee News talked to a few Hindu Members National Assembly (MNA) of different political parties of Pakistan who attribute the conversions to the financial reasons or wilful inclination towards the teachings of Islam.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Hindu MNA Lal Chand Malhi said that the Hindu community in Pakistan was being continuously exploited in Sindh. Instead of going into the genesis of the conversion of poor Hindus, Malhi chose to reply with a political overtone, “And it is happening under the rule of self-proclaimed champions of democracy.”

Pakistani Hindu MNA representing Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Kheal Das Kohistani said the Hindus in Badin could have embraced Islam due to financial reasons.

“It is condemnable if they are forced but we have to investigate into it, according to preliminary information these Hindu families had financial reasons for conversion,” he said. However, he couldn’t explain the financial reasons behind leaving one’s own religion and embracing other religions.

Another PTI MNA Ramesh KumarVankwani who is also Patron-in-chief of Pakistan Hindu Council opined that forced conversions were due to something else. 

“If a minor girl is abducted and presented in a madrassa and later told that the girl has converted to Islam and you have no link with her, this is an example of forced conversion,” he said. Reacting to the conversion of 60 Hindus to Islam in Badin, he said there could be a possibility that these Hindus could have been impressed with the teachings of Islam.  But at the same time, he said they could have agreed to embrace Islam for money.