Pakistani Hindus protest towards abduction of neighborhood members in Sindh province

Pakistan’s Hindu neighborhood members together with individuals from different faiths have been staging a protest since September 1 over the kidnapping of some members of the minority neighborhood by bandits in riverine areas in southern Sindh province’s Kashmore, in accordance with a media report on Monday.

Dr Chand Mahar, the senior vice chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) minority wing in Sindh and one of many people main the protest, stated the demonstration was being staged at Dera More — an space close to the Sindh-Punjab border — since Friday final week, Dawn.com reported.

Three members of the Hindu neighborhood — recognized as Mukhi Jagdish Kumar, Sagar Kumar and Jaideep Kumar — have been in dacoits’ captivity after they had been just lately intercepted by them, Mahar stated.

He added {that a} Muslim physician — Munir Naij — had additionally been held captive for the previous 40 days.

Mukhi was a 72-year-old businessman and Jaideep was 9 years outdated, Mahar stated, including that they had been kidnapped from Kashmore. Sagar was additionally kidnapped from Kashmore metropolis whereas Naij was kidnapped in Guddu round 40 days again, he stated.

Protests over their abduction, in addition to rising incidents of robberies in Sindh, had been additionally held in a number of different cities within the province on Sunday, with the relations of the victims demanding their early and protected restoration.

The protesters, together with individuals from all faiths, additionally demanded an operation by the Army and Rangers towards the abductors and bandits.

“Everyone is asking us to call off the protest but hostages are still in dacoits’ captivity,” he said, adding that people were “fed up with these kidnappings”.

He said Kashmore Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amjad Sheikh had assured the protesters that the hostages would be recovered soon.

Mahar estimated that around 40 people had been kidnapped by riverine bandits during the last few months. “Some of them were released after the payment of ransom,” he added.

“We are taken as simple prey by dacoits so far as the cost of ransom is anxious. Since most of them (members of the Hindu neighborhood) run companies, they’re kidnapped by dacoits,” he stated.

Dr Lal Chand Ukrani, president of the PPP’s minority wing in Sindh, voiced related sentiments. “We (Hindus) are easy targets,” he stated. “Muslims are also kidnapped but Hindus are an easy target for ransom.”

He stated he had raised the matter with former chief minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and had been in talks with him over the difficulty earlier than the tip of his tenure “because the law and order situation in upper Sindh is very bad, especially in Kashmore”.

On Sunday, caretaker Sindh Home Minister Haris Nawaz informed reporters in Thatta {that a} plan had been finalised for launching an operation towards bandits within the riverine areas of Jacobabad and Shikarpur, and the subsequent part of the operation could be extra result-oriented.

Edited By:

Prateek Chakraborty

Published On:

Sep 5, 2023