Ronik Sharma
As everyone is aware that December 10th is designated as Human Rights Day each year, marking the day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948. An important historical document known as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares that all people have the inherent rights to human beings, irrespective of their race, colour, religion, sex, language, political opinion, national or social origin, property, birthplace, or other position. Promoting and raising awareness of the following articles under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is the goal of International Human Rights Day. These articles include the right to equality, freedom from discrimination, life, liberty, personal security, freedom from slavery, freedom from torture and degrading treatment, recognition as an individual before the law, equality before the law, the right to marriage and family, the right to own property,freedom of belief and religion, freedom of opinion and information, and the right to peaceful assembly and association.
The theme for this year’s Human Rights Day is Freedom, Equality, and Justice for All, and this year, December 10, 2023, marks the seventy fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Since partition, the percentage of the Hindu minority community in Pakistan has been declining silently, and no one in Pakistan nor in the whole world is taking note of the hue and cry of these Hindu minority community members who reside in Pakistan at present. The Pakistani regime has persisted in its decades-long atrocities against the Hindu minority community in Pakistan, due to which the percentage of the Hindu- Sikh minority communities declined to 2-3 percent, which was around 23-25 percent after partition. Additionally, the Pakistani bureaucracy supports the Muslim clergy in their atrocities against the Hindu minority community. The Hindu minority community was not only targeted for communal violence against them; they were forced to coerce conversation, and this includes a number of causes, including forced conversions or escapes from the country. Without any oversight, attacks against the Hindu minority community have continued, and there are no strong regulations in place to put an end to these crimes against members of the Hindu-Sikh minority community. The threat of forced marriages and conversions of Hindu minor girls and women has been brought to the attention of the world bodies working on human rights violations, but in vein. While forced conversions and abductions of Hindu minor girls have occurred in almost all areas where the Hindu minority resides in Pakistan, even after such atrocities, there is currently no legislation in place to stop these forced marriages, conversations, and human rights violations. Innocent Hindu minority community members were forced to flee the nation or convert as a result of these crimes, and there were numerous more reasons why the Hindu minority community has been the focus of communal violence. In addition to this, Pakistani government establishments continue to attack Hindu holy shrines. Once again, the Pakistani administration, apparently under pressure from fundamentalist clerics, destroyed a sacred Hindu shrine located in Mithi city, the capital of Tharparkar District in the Sindh province of Pakistan. This is just another horrific act of bigotry against Pakistan’s Hindu minority people. Additionally, the former cricket player of the Hindu community from Pakistan was given the following information: Hindu temples in Pakistan has being demolished. This information came from this former cricket player, Danish Kaneria, who tweeted over X (Twitter). In one of his tweets, Pakistani establishments destroyed the ‘Hinglag Mata Temple’ in Tharparkar, Mithi. Pakistani authorities, with the active connivance of Islamic fanatics, are still taking action against Hindu religious shrines. The Mirpur has anti-encroachment court ordered the demolition of the Hinglaj Mata Temple in Tharparkar, Pakistan. Another Hindu temple was destroyed earlier in July in the Islamic nation because it was deemed to be a ‘old and dangerous structure.’ Bulldozers in Soldier Bazar, Karachi, destroyed the Mari Mata Temple, which was heavily guarded by police. When the temple was built 150 years ago, its total area measured 400-500 square yards. Developers and land grabbers had long been interested in the area surrounding the shrine.
In a similar incident, an eyewitness exposed Pakistani establishments for the additional encroachments that are going on in one of the holy locations of Hindus, which is situated in the district of Neelum Valley, which has been under the illegal occupation of Pakistan since 1947. According to the latest developments in Sharda Peeth, the alleged encroachment by the Pakistani establishment on Sharda Peeth is a matter of grave concern. The maximum area of the holy shrine of Sharda Peeth is already encroached upon, and now the illegal encroachers are eyeing further encroachment, and the Pakistani establishment failed to protect one of the world-renowned protected sites declared by UNESCO. There was another incident at the Ganesha temple two years ago. A mob of radicals attacked the Ganesha temple in Bhong City, Pakistan’s Punjab province. The temple was stoned, the idols were shattered, and they were set on fire. The vandalism of holy Hindu shrines are an examples of the dangerous, unrestrained radicalization occurring in Pakistani society. One can only imagine the kind of dangerous circumstances the minority Hindu community is dealing with. Every year, as well as in previous years, many holy Hindu shrines have been destroyed by Islamic fanatics in a series of instances. Not only has the Hindu community in Pakistan been stunned by the disturbing images in the videos, but the entire world has been startled by these disturbing images.
The voiceless voices of the minority Hindu population in Pakistan are going unheard. Those who instigate radicalised elements to commit violent crimes against Hindu minorities are not held accountable and should be dealt with harshly and with iron hands since their impunity encourages other members of the majority community to commit similar crimes against the Hindu minority community. The world bodies working on human rights violations must make it clear to the Pakistani establishment that attacking any place of worship of the minority Hindu community is simply unacceptable, and they also must provide sufficient support to the Hindu minority community people to again restore the glory of all the Hindu community holy shrines that were raised to ground since partition and. It is necessary to give Hindu shrines additional protection. All Hindu shrines, either protected or not, that have encroachments upon them must be cleared. Today, what is the remaining Hindu population? Many of them made their way out, were killed, or were converted. Unfortunately, human rights commissions are for other communities; it doesn’t seem that UNO cares about the Hindu minority community residing in Pakistan. Why is this platform, purportedly the highest in the world, needed?
( The author is an advocate)
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