Indian World Forum flags atrocities on Pakistani minorities, calls on Muslim World League to act

An organisation working for the Indian diaspora in various countries has flagged with the Muslim World League concerns over atrocities on Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan and demanded it intervenes with the leadership of that country to ensure safety of minorities and their religious sites.

In his letter to Muslim World League Secretary General Mohammad Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Indian World Forum president Puneet Singh Chandhok said atrocities ranging from "abduction, extortion, state-sponsored killings of minorities to forceful religious conversion of young Hindu and Sikh girls in Pakistan" are a matter of great concern.

"The decrease in demographics of minorities there portrays lack of compliance of Pakistan to the UN Charter. Many young girls residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh provinces have been missing or abducted and are subjected to sexual exploitation and abuse," he said.

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Irrespective of several appeals and complaints by their parents and guardians to local authorities, the government of Pakistan has failed to take any preventive measure or responsive action and on the contrary its officials are instrumental in protecting and shielding all those involved in heinous crimes against minorities living there, Chandhok said.

"You may kindly consider to confer and intervene with the leadership of Pakistan to ensure safety and wellbeing of Hindus and Sikhs and other faiths living there and facilitate protection of their rights," he said.

"The government of Pakistan must facilitate foolproof sanctity of religious sites and estates belonging to minorities there," Chandhok said.

Muslim World League (MWL) is an international NGO headquartered in Mecca, with members from all Islamic countries and sects.

It aims to present Islam and its tolerant principles, provide humanitarian aid, extend bridges of dialogue and cooperation with all, engage in positive openness to all cultures and civilisations, follow the path of centrism and moderation, and ward off movements calling for extremism, violence and exclusion.