There is one thing common among both Pakistan and India and that religious minorities continue to be targeted in both countries. Two incidents that occurred on the same day shows how both countries are descending into chaos and religious extremism.
The first incident occurred in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where an enraged mob vandalized a Hindu shrine and subsequently set it on fire. More than a thousand people belonging to a religious party wanted the removal of the century-old temple. It was reported that a cleric incited the crowd who chanted slogans and tore down the walls of the temple and also damaged the house of a local member of the Hindu community.
On the other side of the border, a mosque was damaged in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh by activists from a Hindu right-wing organization raising funds for the Ram Temple which is being built by the BJP regime at the site of the demolished Babri Mosque. The activists were carrying saffron flags and raising slogans surrounding the mosque. Some also climbed atop the mosque and damaged the houses of Muslims who fled the area.
The similarities between the two incidents are striking and show how minorities are increasingly insecure in both countries. President Arif Alvi said the Muslims and other minorities are secluded and unsafe in India as the Modi regime is converting it into a Hindu nation. The truth remains that the situation is not much different here and mobs, particularly by religious extremists, continue to target minorities in both countries.
The government of Pakistan claims it is safe for people from all schools of thought and religions and that minorities enjoy equal freedoms and liberties. But just earlier this month, Pakistan was among a list of countries sanctioned by the United States for systematic violations of religious freedom. Pakistan has denied the accusations and claims that it working to ensure minority rights, unlike India where they are being targeted their citizenships are being revoked.
The ground reality is much different and it has been reported that nearly 1,000 girls from religious minorities are forced to convert to Islam in Pakistan each year. The government denies there is any systematic forced conversions. But it is these ‘non-state actors’ that the government has been unable to control which has brought the entire region into chaos.
