Bengaluru: In what comes as riveting, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo condemned Pakistan for not protecting the religious freedom of its minorities. 

He was speaking at the launch of the 27-nation International Religious Freedom Alliance (IRFA).  

In this regard, he said, “We condemn terrorists and violent extremists who target religious minorities whether they are Yazidis in Iraq, Hindus in Pakistan, Christians in northeast Nigeria, or Muslims in Burma.”

He further said, “We condemn blasphemy and apostasy laws that criminalise matters of the soul. We condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s hostility to all faiths. We know several of you courageously pushed back against Chinese pressure by agreeing to be part of this Alliance, and we thank you for that.”

“Defending the right of all people to live their lives according to their conscience is one of this administration’s top priorities,” Pompeo also said in his address.

The alliance also includes Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Israel, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Greece among other nations.

A note on how Hindus are persecuted in Pakistan: 

Islamic education was being taught 

Hindus are tormented in Pakistan. Minors of the minority Hindu families are also being targeted. They are not being imparted quality education. But they are being prevailed upon to learn Islam. 

Lands are usurped 

Dharam Veer Solanki, a Hindu victim of subjugation in Pakistan tells MyNation that lands they owned in Pakistan were usurped at least 30-40 years ago. Though they stayed there, they were relegated to the status of second-class citizens. During Pervez Musharraf’s tenure, they were also disenfranchised. 

Later, though the voting rights were restored, they continued to face persecution in the name of religion. 

However, he managed to escape from Pakistan with the help of a visa to Haridwar. Since then, he has been put up in a refugee camp in Delhi. Staying in that camp, he has been taking care of his family.