Pakistan's ill-treatment of minorities under scanner after UK sanctions Sindhi cleric
Dec 27, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], December 27 : Rebuffing Pakistan's plea for the world to look at his country anew, the UK government this month imposed sanctions on its Muslim cleric Mian Abdul Haq for forced conversions and marriages of girls and women from religious minorities, according to Toronto based think tank.
The International Forum For Rights And Security (IFFRAS) said this latest sanction, once again highlighted the precarious situation of minorities in Pakistan. Sanction on Mian, described as a "controversial Sindhi pir" by Dawn, was part of a new wave of sanctions that targets corrupt actors, those abusing human rights, and perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict.
According to IFFRAS, Mian Abdul Haq was a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) lawmaker between 2008 and 2013. He was expelled by the party after the forced conversion and marriage of Rinkle Kumari, a girl from the minority Hindu community.
The pir, popularly known as Mian Mithu, is notorious in upper Sindh for his alleged involvement in the forced conversion and marriages of minor Hindu girls, according to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn.
The IFFRAS report said the UK sanctions effectively mean that designated individuals cannot do any business or undertake economic activity with UK citizens or companies and that they will be denied entry to the UK.
Activists say human rights in Pakistan records have touched a new low with several media reports and global bodies reflecting the dire situation for women, minorities, children, and media persons in the country.
In Sindh, forced conversions and attacks on minority communities have become even more rampant. Forced conversion of minor Hindu, Sikh, and Christian girls, always under duress, has become an increasingly common phenomenon in the country.
Earlier in November, the World Sindhi Congress (WSC) held the 34th International Conference on Sindh in London. Addressing the International Conference on Sindh, WSC chairperson Dr Rubina Shaikh, stressed that Sindh is witnessing the "worst period in history."
During the conference, the World Sindhi Congress urged international institutions including the United Nations to file a "case of ecocide" against the Pakistani government in local and international courts.
"Sindh is going through the worst period in history. Sindhis have to make a joint, systematic and united struggle for the right to self-determination for their homeland," World Sindhi Congress announced in a statement on November 23 on Facebook.
