Peshawar, Pakistan (August 20, 2014): According to media reports, Commission for Peace and Minorities Rights (CPMR) on Monday (August 18) criticized the government for its lethargic attitude to provide foolproof security to minorities and their worship places in the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas of Pakistan.
An hour-long session on ‘Stop violence against minorities’ was held by CPMR that was attended by Sikh and Hindu communities bsides representatives of civil societies.
“We have lost our trust in government as well as political and religious parties of Pakistan for showing lack of interests in resolving our problems,” said Haroon Sarbdial, chairman of All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement.
He said the human rights bodies and activists had not properly raised the issue of minorities in Pakistan, compelling the Hindu and Sikh affected-families of violence and extremism to ask for help from the international communities.
He added that the graveyards, worship places and other historical sites and buildings had been occupied either by land grabbers or government departments in parts of the country. He demanded the government to take steps for the preservation of historical building and worship places and giving them back to the respective minority.
Churn Jeet Singh, a representative from Sikh community in Peshawar, said that violence against the Sikhs had been increased for the last one and a half year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in Peshawar where they were killed, kidnapped and harassed.
“Our lives and business are not safe in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said and added that their forefathers had chosen to stay in Pakistan after partition. “Now we think of leaving this country as we are no more safe here,” he added.