External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that India keeps an eye on the behavior of minorities in Pakistan “very closely” and also raises it at the international level.
Ansening a question on ‘crime and atrocities against minorities in Pakistan’ during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Jaishankar said that he mentioned 10 cases of atrocities in Pakistan in February, of which seven are related to kidnapping and forced conversion, two are related to kidnapping and one belongs to police action against students who are celebrating Holi.
Jaishankar said, “I sympathize with the feelings expressed by the honorable member. There are two parts of the question. For example, I want to make the House aware that in the month of February, 10 cases of atrocities against the Hindu community were reported, seven of them were related to kidnapping and forced conversion, two were related to kidnapping, one was related to police action against students celebrating Holi. “
He said that there are three incidents related to the Sikh community in Pakistan and two cases related to the Ahmadiyya community. He said that a Christian person, who was allegedly mentally unstable, was accused of blasphemy in Pakistan.
Jaishankar said, “Three incidents related to the Sikh community took place in Pakistan. In one case, one Sikh family was attacked. In the second case, a Sikh family was threatened for reopening an old gurdwara. There was also a case of kidnapping and conversion with a girl from that community. There were two cases related to Ahmadiya community. In a case, in one case, one mosque was separated and in the other, in the other, one mosque was separated and in the other cases, 40 graves and 40 graves were separated from Christians, in one case, a mosque was separated from Christianity and in the other case There was a case, where a Christian person was reportedly mentally unstable accused of blasphemy. “
He said that India raises issues internationally and cited the comments of India’s representative in the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Ambassador of India in the United Nations General Assembly.
Explaining in detail on how India raises this issue internationally, Jaishankar said, “Honorable Member is the answer, yes, we keep a close watch on it. We pick it up, and we raise it internationally. Again, giving two recent examples, in the month of February, in the month of February, our representative in the United Nations Human Rights Council told that Pakistan is a country that is a country, a country, a country, a country, a country, abuses, abuses The policies of the state are the policies of the state that shamelessly gives shelter to the United Nations and Pakistan is not in a position to preach anyone. Instead, Pakistan should also focus on providing real rule and justice to the United Nations General Assembly. He said that it is very well known and there is a record of fanaticism.
On March 26, Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) released a report on the first quarter of 2025, highlighting the rapid increase in the rates of harassment of religious minorities in Pakistan and the challenges faced by them.
The organization condemned the growing misconduct and said that relief and justice is still not being received due to lack of resources and adventurous mentality of criminals, who often get the support of influential religious and political personalities.
Commenting on the findings, HRFP President Naveed Walter said, “There are easy goals for religious minority attacks, murders, blasphemy allegations, kidnapping, forced conversion and forced marriage in Pakistan. Their pain and neglect are even more painful.”
He pointed out an increase in incidents from January 2025, cited cases such as Vasif Christ, a Christian youth from Chak Jhumra in Faisalabad, who was falsely accused of theft, assaulted and was publicly humiliated on his face.
