The Citizens For Democracy (CFD) has condemned the heinous attack in Shikarpur that resulted in the murder of four Hindu doctors, three of whom were brothers.

“This is not an incident that can be viewed in isolation. It is the inevitable result of a system where discrimination against minorities has become institutionalised to a point where their life, honour and property are no longer secure,” a statement issued by the CFD said on Friday.

Faith-based crimes against the Hindu community in Sindh had become an epidemic in recent years. Women as usual have borne the brunt as many have been abducted, raped, forced to convert and marry their abductors, the CFD said.

“Over the past few years, thousands of Hindus have migrated from Pakistan, leaving behind their homes in the country that they called their own. This is no less than ethnic cleansing that is taking place across swathes of Sindh, a province with a reputation for tolerance and interfaith harmony, where the Sufi culture has traditionally embraced all in its inclusive spirit,” the organization added.

“On the day of Eid this year, the vicious campaign of intimidation, rape and forced conversion against the Hindus climaxed in the murderous daytime attack in Shikarpur on four members of their community,” it went on to say.

Renowned for its artisans and beautiful havelis, Shikarpur was once home to rich Hindu traders, who have been gradually marginalised since the partition with less than nine percent of the district population subscribing to the Hindu faith today. The steady radicalisation of society over the years is directly to blame for the horrors increasingly visited upon minorities in this country.

“Xenophobic Muslims, driven by their contempt for other faiths, are further encouraged by the knowledge that the legal system will either come to their aid through laws biased against minorities or, at the very least, look the other way,” the statement said.

“Traditional

power structures, particularly in rural areas of Sindh, already render Hindus, who are often impoverished members of the scheduled castes, more vulnerable than other segments of society. This, coupled with religious extremism, has made their lives a living hell,” it added.

The murders of Drs. Ajeet Kumar, Naresh Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Satyapal are not only condemnable because the four members of a religious minority belonged to a noble profession and were involved in the discharge of their clinical duties for the neglected rural poor, but also because they were brutally gunned down - collectively - in the name of tribal honor and religious prejudice, the CFD said.

The CFD demanded of the government to play its role in bringing the culprits of the heinous crime to justice. While the organisation welcomed initial statements made by top officials, it demanded that authorities must follow through on the action taken against the perpetrators.

The local police should be directed to ensure that the perpetrators’ links with the ruling party, the PPP, should in no way protect them from the consequences of their crime.

Furthermore, let this be the beginning of a concerted effort to tell those who would deny the minorities their right to live as law-abiding Pakistanis: enough is enough, the statement said.



