BJP seeks government's intervention over atrocities on Hindus in Pakistan

New Delhi, May 3 (ANI):  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday asked the government to intervene over the alleged atrocities committed on the Hindu minorities living in Pakistan.

Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi had raised this issue in the Parliament on Wednesday and demanded an explanation from the government on this issue.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram responded to the forceful plea by Joshi during the Zero Hour in the lower house by saying that the matter required a detailed response and he would only make a statement in the house after consulting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and foreign minister S.M.Krishna.

While addressing Parliament, Joshi alleged that young women were being kidnapped, raped and were forced to convert to Islam in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

He added that on an average, 25 girls were victims of such crimes every month.

After attending the BJP lawmakers meeting in New Delhi, party spokesperson, Shahnawaz Hussain said that if India could send a delegation to Sri Lanka to help the Tamil minorities in the country, then they should send the same to Pakistan.

"The lawmakers strongly oppose the atrocities on the Hindu minorities in Pakistan. The Bharatiya Janata Party will raise this issue in the Lower and Upper houses of Parliament. We want a detailed debate on this issue. If a delegation can be sent to Sri Lanka to discuss the atrocities on the Tamils, then why not on this issue. The population of Hindu minority was 15 percent in United Pakistan but it has now reduced to two percent in this new Pakistan. They are facing cultural, religious threat and human rights violation is also taking place," said Hussain.

Hindus are the minority in Islam dominated Pakistan. After attaining freedom and partition from India in 1947, the western and eastern blocks, which had the majority of Muslim population was termed as Pakistan and East Pakistan respectively.

East Pakistan was later known as Bangladesh after the 1971 war.

After the mass genocide during the partition, some factions of Hindus remained in Pakistan and are in minority. (ANI)