MINORITIES IN PAK

RS members express concern

New Delhi, December 12
Rajya Sabha (Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India.)members today expressed concern over fear and insecurity under which minorities, particularly Hindus and Sikhs, lived in Pakistan. Cutting across party lines, they asked the government to take up the issue with Islamabad with some even wanting India to take up the issue at an international forum like the UN.

Worry over atrocities on minorities in Pakistan and killings of some Hindus recently, raised during Zero Hour by Avinash Rai Khanna (BJP), not just found unequivocal support from his party colleagues, but also MS Gill of the Congress. Gill urged the government to take up the issue seriously. Khanna was in fact supported by members from all political parties, associating themselves with the issue.

Khanna said Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission in its recent report had pointed out such atrocities on minorities, including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, whose property and life were not secure in that country.

The BJP member said many Hindu families from Pakistan had been camping in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Rajpura and Khanna for quite some time, refusing to return home despite expiry of their visas. They are seeking Indian citizenship.

Around 28 families had also settled in Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tilla area, seeking Indian citizenship, Khanna said. Lamenting that the Indian government was not doing anything in support of minorities in Pakistan he added that “the government has not spoken a word in their support”.

SS Ahluwalia (BJP) joined his colleague and asked the government to take up the matter with the United Nations.