New Delhi: India is open to giving asylum to Hindus from Pakistan if they ask for it. Some 250-odd Hindus have arrived in the country over the last few days and most are keen on seeking permanent residence in India as they fear persecution in Pakistan in view of the recent instances of abductions of Hindu girls, who were forced by fundamentalist groups to embrace Islam and married off.
Hindus from Pakistan, who arrived here ostensibly on an annual pilgrimage, have already indicated that they don't want to go back to their country.Although they have not formally sought asylum, official sources said the government was likely to accept such requests when they come. "India does not generally turn away asylumseekers," an official said.
India is "surprised" at the sudden influx of Hindus from Pakistan. At least three batches have arrived, the latest group of 14 via Attari on Monday joining 250 who came over last week. INDIA'S WELCOMING STAND
India's policy on granting asylum is based on two fundamental rights in the Constitution—Article 21 and Article 14. These rights give any resident in India the right to life, equality and justice
Refugees and asylum seekers in India can avail of govt education, medical care in govt hospitals, practise their religion, even work in the informal sectorRefugees vow to break pledge to return
The trials and tribulations of Pakistani Hindus came into the limelight when a 14-year-old girl, Manisha Kumari, was kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam and married off. Last month, a 20-year-old, Sunil, "converted" to Islam on TV during Ramzan, to the delight of a cheering audience.
Hindus make up 2.5% of Pakistan's 174 million population, of which over 90% live in Sindh.
The refugees seeking Indian asylum bring harrowing tales of harassment, violence and death at the hands of Islamists. The Hindus who crossed the border on Monday said they will flout their promise to return and will stay on in India.
They alleged severe persecution, harassment, forced conversion, extortion and abduction and forced marriages of young girls by Islamist groups in Pakistan. The groups are mainly from Sindh and Balochistan.
Although they were made to sign documents promising to return before being allowed to cross into India, many of them have cited the rising persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan to say they would ask for asylum here.
The emerging stories of oppression of religious minorities in Pakistan, where blasphemy laws have been used by hardliners to target Christians, has attracted international attention since Punjab governor Salman Taseer was assassinated for sympathizing with a Christian woman who was given death sentence for allegedly insulting Islam. The assassination of minister for minority affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian, and the killings of Shias and Ahmediyas—a Muslim sect considered to be heretic by hardliners—cast the spotlight on the plight of minorities.
The harassment of Hindus generated headlines when Rinkie Kumari, a minor, was kidnapped, converted and married to a Muslim under the aegis of a known hardliner. Parents of Rinkie Kumari and two other Hindu girls-—Lata and Asha—who were forced to embrace Islam and married off to Muslims, failed to get respite from the Pakistan Supreme Court.
The global censure for its failure to protect minorities appears to be pinching the Pakistani regime. The 250 Hindus who recently arrived in India were briefly detained at the border by Pakistani authorities. They wereallowed to enter India after signing a commitment to return, and told not to criticize Pakistan while in India.
These migrations are embarrassing to Pakistan. In his Independence Day speech, Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Kayani made a pointed reference to the security of minorities. He recalled that in the original mandate, Pakistan was to be an Islamic welfare state. Without a specific reference to the Hindus, Kayani said minorities in Pakistan should be free to live and work and practice their faith without fear.
The plight of Hindus in Pakistan figured in Parliament with BJP leader Rajnath Singh forcefully raising the religious and human rights violations the community faces in the neighbouring country. He found the support of other parties with BJD's Bhartruhari Mahtab saying India should offer shelter to Hindus migrating from Pakistan. Mahtab said Pakistan has been unable to protect its minorities.
The Punjab Congress has also written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking for government intervention to provide refuge to Hindus from Pakistan.
Hindu pilgrims from Pakistan wait at the Wagah border
BJP leader Sanjay Lalwani welcomes Hindu migrants from Pakistan at Indore railway station on Tuesday. As many as 230 people reached India on religious visa and another 200 have applied for the same. Lalwani said these visas, valid for 45 days, will be extended after which they can stay in India for 7 years
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