Hundreds of girls belonging to religious minorities are forcibly converted in Pakistan every year

India on Tuesday slammed Pakistan for the deplorable human rights situation in the country with forced conversions becoming a daily phenomenon there.

“The plight of minorities in Pakistan is evident from their shrinking size. Forced conversions have become a daily phenomenon in Pakistan,” India said while exercising its right of reply to the statement made by Pakistan at the interactive dialogue on the annual report of the UNHRC.

“We have seen reports of minor girls belonging to religious minorities being abducted, raped, forcibly converted and married. More than 1000 girls, belonging to religious minorities are forcibly converted in Pakistan every year,” India said.

Expressing shock at the plight of minorities, India maintained that systematic persecution of minorities, including Christians, Ahmadiya, Sikhs and Hindus through draconian blasphemy laws, forced conversions, marries and extrajudicial killings has become a regular phenomenon in Pakistan.

“Holy and ancient sites of religious minorities in Pakistan have been attacked and vandalized,” India said in its right to reply, stating the South Asian country has become the land of enforced disappearances, extra judicial killings and arbitrary detentions of political activists, students, journalists and human rights activists.

Pakistan has the dubious distinction of being listed as one of the “most dangerous countries.” “Journalists are threatened, intimidated, taken off air, kidnapped and in some cases killed, mainly to silence critics of the Establishment. While families of victims continue to struggle for justice, the perpetrators of these acts have enjoyed complete impunity,” India stated.

Hitting hard Pakistan for its continued support to terrorism, India said: “The scourge of terrorism is the gravest violation of human rights and must be dealt with in strongest terms in all its forms and manifestations. Pakistan, as its state policy, continues to provide pensions to dreaded and listed terrorists and hosts them on its territory. It is high time that Pakistan is held accountable for aiding and abetting terrorism.”