1800 Christian and Hindu women enforcedly converted to Islam in Pakistan in 2011.
Islamabad; December 9, 2011. (PCP) The Asian Human Right Commission in a report issued on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011, declared that 161 individuals from religious minorities are arrested under blasphemy law and 1800 women from Christian and Hindu communities are kidnaped and enforcedly converted to Islam in Pakistan.
The AHRC alleges that Pakistan has become dysfunctional in providing basic human rights to the people. Though the parliament exists it either cannot assert its constitutional duties or does not want to assert itself in the presence of the powerful military which is dominating both internal and external affairs. The Pakistani society and the government remain under the strong grip of the military which does not allow them to interfere in the affairs of the armed forces. Pakistan remains a highly militarized society where economic, political, foreign affairs and judicial policies are dictated by the armed forces. The laws for the benefit of women, religious minorities and against torture and enforced disappearances cannot be made without the prior approval from the military. The parliament has been made redundant and its decisions are occasionally reverted through the judiciary at the behest of the military.
The Asian Human Rights Commission says that it has documented the killing of 18 human rights defenders during the year by the state intelligence agencies.
AHRC report adds that year 2011 started with the killings of hundreds of persons including those of high profile personalities; the governor of a province and a federal minister of minority affairs, by the extremist religious groups who infiltrated the law enforcement agencies. The arrest of a Christian lady, Aasia Bibi, on baseless Blasphemy charges from some mosque leaders took religious intolerance and fanaticism to its highest peak. The state played a dubious role to appease religious extremism. It remained a silent spectator in the killings of Mr. Salman Taseer, former governor of Punjab province and former federal minister of minority affairs, a Christian minister in cabinet. The government's ineptitude to stop religious and sectarian intolerance has strengthened the banned militant religious groups so that they are able to organize and collect funds in the streets and hold huge rallies. This ineptitude of the government has encouraged the forced conversion to Islam of girls from religious minority groups. In total throughout the country during the year around 1,800 women from Hindu and Christian groups were forced to convert to Islam by different methods particularly though abduction and rape.
In Balochistan during the year disappearances by the plain clothed persons continued and more than 100 persons were disappeared. Around 100 missing persons were extrajudicial killed and the family members of the victims claim that these persons were abducted by law enforcement agencies says report.
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