USA highlights persecution of Hindus in Pakistan

The United States Of America highlighted the plight of Hindus in Pakistan as it officially launched a 27-nation International Religious Freedom Alliance, which will try to protect and preserve religious freedom across the world. Prominent countries like Australia, Brazil, Israel, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Netherlands and Greece have joined this alliance, which is a consensus-based group that will soon meet and focus on the area of religious persecution.

Speaking in its official address, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “We condemn terrorists and violent extremists who target religious minorities, whether they are Yazidis in Iraq, Hindus in Pakistan, Christians in northeast Nigeria, or Muslims in Burma.” “We condemn blasphemy and apostasy laws that criminalise matters of the soul. We condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s hostility to all faiths. We know several of you courageously pushed back against Chinese pressure by agreeing to be part of this Alliance, and we thank you for that,” Pompeo added.

This comes in light after more than 100 families crossed the Attari-Wagah border and reached Amritsar on Monday. The government had introduced the Citizenship Amendment Act to speed up the process of such refugees living in India till the year 2014. This has faced a backlash from opposition political parties which have accused the Act of being unconstitutional in nature.

While the USA has condemned Pakistan and its Jihadis for the persecution of Hindus, the Ummah has categorically refused to believe the urgent need for human rights for Hindus in the Islamic state of Pakistan. The persecution of Hindus in Pakistan is widely known. Only recently, a Muslim had abducted a Hindu girl while her wedding was in progress and then proceeded to convert her to Islam and marry her.

India recently passed the Citizenship Amendment Act which gives fast-track citizenship to persecuted minorities of the three neighbouring Islamic states of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. After the passage of the Act, Muslim mobs went on a rampage, rioting and causing arson and violence throughout the country.

Islamists came out of the woodwork to claim that the Muslims were being discriminated against since CAA provided fast-track citizenship to only persecuted minorities of Islamic nations but not Muslims. Adding to that, Muslim leader Asadduddin Owaisi went as far as to demand proof that minorities were persecuted in Pakistan.

Source : OpIndia