HINDU HUMAN RIGHTS IN SOUTH ASIA
(14 May 2005)

The Hindu Forum of Britain is to host a debate to discuss the state of Hindu Human Rights in South Asia on 14 May 2005, following the publication of a report of the same name compiled by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF). The report asserts that the human rights of Hindu citizens are consistently violated in three regions in South Asia where Hindus constitute a minority: Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Jammu & Kashmir. The report concludes that of these regions, Bangladesh represents an ongoing crisis for Hindus and is of utmost and immediate concern. It urges the international community to compel the governments of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India to respect the human rights of Hindus as an urgent priority.

EXCERPTS FROM THE HAF REPORT

BANGLADESH

• Over 400 documented attacks have taken place on Bangladeshi Hindus between January and November 2004.
• These attacks include the day to day acts of murder, rape, kidnapping, temple destruction, and physical intimidation.
• Hindus are labelled as "enemies" of Bangladesh. The Enemy Property Order II of 1965, under which property belonging to Hindus was identified as enemy property, was renamed the Vested Property Act in 1972. Under it the Government of Bangladesh vested itself with alleged enemy properties. Still in force, this Order of the President and the Enemy \ Vested Property Act has not been subjected to any judicial review.
• Hindus, who comprised nearly 30% of Bangladesh's population in 1947, now constitute less than 10% of the population.
• By 1991, 20 million Hindus were unaccounted or 'missing' according to expected population trends.

PAKISTAN

• Hindus, who constituted between 15% and 24% of Pakistan's population in 1947, now comprise less than 1.6% of the population.
• Nearly 2 million people, many of them Hindus, are held as slaves in 'bonded labor' in southern Pakistan.
• Kidnapping of vulnerable Hindus is a well-established multi-million dollar industry.
• Pakistan officially discriminates against non-Muslims through a variety of laws and strictures. Discriminatory laws include the 'anti-blasphemy law' under which anyone who is accused of criticizing the Prophet Muhammad is imprisoned without trial for long periods of time, and mandatory religious identification in passports. Specific discriminatory laws are the Hudood Ordinance of 1979 (offence of Zina, offence of Qazaf, execution of punishment of whipping ordinance), the Qanoon-i-Shahadat Order of 1984 and Qisas & Diyat Ordinance (Section 306 C) of 1991.

INDIA'S JAMMU & KASHMIR STATE

• Over 300,000 Kashmiri Hindus have been forced to leave due to ethnic cleansing abetted by Kashmiri Muslims & Pakistan.
• These 300,000 Hindus are refugees in their own country, sheltered in temporary camps near New Delhi and elsewhere in India.
• More than 3,000 Hindu civilians have been killed, and thousands more Hindu police and army personnel have succumbed to terrorist violence.
• There are virtually no Hindus left in the Kashmir Valley; they have all been driven out.

CONCLUSION

• Of these regions, Bangladesh represents an ongoing crisis for Hindus and is of utmost and immediate concern.
• Human rights violations against Hindus are repeatedly ignored by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and government commissions like the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom as they routinely fail to specifically highlight the plight of Hindus in regions where they comprise a minority.
• Minority and human rights commissions in these regions must be created and/or empowered to pressure the governments of these countries to provide security and uphold the rights of minority Hindus.
• The international community must compel the governments of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India to respect the human rights of Hindus as an urgent priority.

ABOUT THE HINDU AMERICAN FOUNDATION

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) provides a voice for the 2 million strong Hindu American community. HAF interacts with and educates government, media, academia and public about Hinduism and issues of concern to Hindus locally and globally. The report on the Status of Hindu Human Rights in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Kashmir has been compiled through credible research and reports gathered from organizations working in these regions. It presents documented instances and a fact-based concurrent analysis of the abuse of the human rights against Hindus in these regions.

HAF is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization not aligned or affiliated with any political entity, party or organization.

ABOUT THE HINDU FORUM OF BRITAIN

The Hindu Forum of Britain is the largest umbrella body for British Hindus with a broad-based membership of over 240 Hindu organisations from different regions and cultural backgrounds in Britain. At the core of the Forum's activities is a strong belief in the richness and diversity of the Hindu culture, its value system that encompasses respect for all beings and faiths, and a cultural heritage that facilitates community cohesion and coexistence. Further information visit www.hinduforum.org

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