_During_Yanglaj_Yatra_2017_Photo_by_Aliraza_Khatri.jpg) | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
 5.2 million (2023 census) (2.17%) of Pakistan's population)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Sindh | (4,901,107) (8.81%) |
| Punjab | (249,716) (0.2%) |
| Balochistan | (59,107) (0.41%) |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | (6,104) (0.02%) |
| Religions | |
| Hinduism of all sects | |
| Scriptures | |
| Vedas,Upanishads,Puranas,Ramayana, andBhagavad Gita | |
| Languages | |
| Sanskrit (holy)[2] Sindhi (majority),Punjabi,Brahui,Baluchi,Urdu,Pashto and others(including Aer, Dhatki, Gera, Goaria, Gurgula, Jandavra, Kabutra, Koli, Loarki, Tamil, and Vaghri) | |
Hinduism is the second largestreligion in Pakistan afterIslam. Pakistani Hindus are mainly concentrated in the easternSindh province with theUmerkot District having the highest percentage of Hindu residents in the country at 54.7%, whileTharparkar District has the most Hindus in absolute numbers at around 810,000. Hindus are also found in smaller numbers inBalochistan,Punjab, andKhyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Though Hinduism was the dominant faith in the region a few centuries back,[3][4][5][6] its adherents accounted for just 2.17% of Pakistan's population (approximately 5.2 million people) according to the2023 Pakistani census.[7] Prior to thepartition of India, according to the 1941 census, Hindus constituted 14.6% of the population inWest Pakistan (contemporary Pakistan)[a] and 28% of the population inEast Pakistan (contemporary Bangladesh).[8][9][10] After Pakistan gainedindependence from theBritish Raj, 5 million (based on 1941 &1951 Census) of West Pakistan'sHindus andSikhs moved to India as refugees.[11][better source needed] And in the first census afterward (1951), Hindus made up 1.6% of the total population of West Pakistan, and 22% of East Pakistan.[12][13]
Hindus in Pakistan are primarily concentrated inSindh, where the majority of Hindu enclaves are found.[14] They speak a variety of languages such asSindhi,Seraiki,Aer,Dhatki,Gera,Goaria,Gurgula,Jandavra,Kabutra,Koli,Loarki,Marwari,Vaghri,[15] andGujarati.[16] Many Hindus, especially in the rural areas, follow the teachings of local Sufipīrs (Urdu:spiritual guide) or adhere to the 14th-century saintRamdevji, whose main templeShri Ramdev Pir temple is located inTando Allahyar. A growing number of urban Hindu youth in Pakistan associate themselves withISKCON society.[17] Other communities worship manifold "Mother Goddesses" as their clan or family patrons.[22] A different branch, theNanakpanth, follows the teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib, also known as the holy book of the Sikhs. This diversity, especially in rural Sindh, often thwarts classical definitions between Hinduism,Sikhism andIslam.[23] Despite being a predominantly Muslim nation, Pakistan's Sindh province boasts a remarkable Hindu heritage and cultural legacy. However, discrimination is increasingly prevalent throughout Pakistan, including in Sindh. Nevertheless, the profound Hindu influence continues to shape the landscape and identity of Sindh.[24]
Though theConstitution of Pakistan provides equal rights to all citizens and is not supposed to discriminate between anyone on the basis of caste, creed or religion,Islam remains thestate religion, often meaningMuslims are afforded more privileges thanHindus or other religious minorities.[25] There have been numerous cases of violence and discrimination againstHindus, along with other minorities.[26] There have also been cases of violence and ill-treatment ofHindus, due to strictblasphemy laws.[27]
One of the most important places of worship for Hindus in Pakistan is the shrine ofShri Hinglaj Mata temple inBalochistan.[28][29] The annualHinglaj Yatra is the largest Hindu pilgrimage in Pakistan.[30]
Though Hinduism was the dominant faith in the region a few centuries ago,[31][32][33] its adherents presently accounted for 2.17% of Pakistan's population (approximately 5.2 million people) according to the2023 Pakistani census, primarily due to large-scale migration and displacement of Hindus during the 1947partition and, to a lesser extent, following the1971 war, theliberation war of Bangladesh (thenEast Pakistan). Prior to thepartition of India, according to the 1941 census, Hindus constituted 14.6% of the population inWest Pakistan (contemporary Pakistan)[a] and 28% of the population inEast Pakistan (contemporary Bangladesh).[34][9][10] AfterBritish India gainedindependence from theBritish Raj, 5 million (based on 1941 &1951 Census) of West Pakistan'sHindus andSikhs moved to India as refugees duringthe Partition.[11][better source needed] And in the first census afterward (1951), Hindus made up 1.6% of the total population of West Pakistan, and 22% of East Pakistan.[35][36]
Pakistan was the fulcrum ofIndus Valley Civilization, one of the oldest civilizations in the world. It is assumed that thePashupati image ofMohenjo-daro evolved to be worshipped asShiva and the Mother Goddess asShakti.[37] Various archaeological finds such as theSwastika symbol andYogic postures from Indus Valley Civilization also point to early influences that may have shaped Hinduism.[38] The religious beliefs and folklore of theIndus valley people have become a major part of the Hindu faith that evolved in this part of theSouth Asia.[39]
Later, during theVedic period, theRig Veda, the oldest Hindu text, is believed to have been composed in thePunjab region of modern-day Pakistan (and India) on the banks of theIndus River around 1500 BCE.[40]
The Sindh kingdom and its rulers play an important role in the Indian epic story of theMahabharata. In addition, a Hindu legend states that the Pakistani city ofLahore was first founded byLava, whileKasur was founded by his twinKusha, both of whom were the sons ofLord Rama of theRamayana. TheGandhara kingdom of the northwest, and the legendary Gandhara people, are also a major part of Hindu literature such as the Ramayana and theMahabharata. Many Pakistani city names (such asPeshawar andMultan) haveSanskrit roots.[41][42]
TheVedic period (1500–500 BCE) was characterised by anIndo-Aryan culture; during this period theVedas, the oldest scriptures associated withHinduism, were composed, and this culture later became well established in the region.[43]Multan was an important Hindu pilgrimage centre. The Vedic civilisation flourished in the ancientGandhāran city of Takṣaśilā, nowTaxila in the Punjab, which was founded around 1000 BCE.[44] Successive ancient empires and kingdoms ruled the region: the PersianAchaemenid Empire (around 519 BCE),Alexander's empire in 326 BCE and theMaurya Empire, founded byChandragupta Maurya and extended byAshoka the Great, until 185 BCE. TheIndo-Greek Kingdom founded byDemetrius of Bactria (180–165 BCE) includedGandhara and Punjab and reached its greatest extent underMenander (165–150 BCE), prospering theGreco-Buddhist culture in the region.[45] Taxila had one of the earliest universities and centres of higher education in the world, which was established during the late Vedic period in 6th century BCE.[citation needed] The school consisted of several monasteries without large dormitories or lecture halls where the religious instruction was provided on an individualistic basis. The ancient university was documented by the invading forces of Alexander the Great and was also recorded by Chinese pilgrims in the 4th or 5th century CE.[46]
At its zenith, theRai dynasty (489–632 CE) ofSindh ruled this region and the surrounding territories.[47] ThePala dynasty was the last Buddhist empire, which, underDharmapala andDevapala, stretched across South Asia from what is nowBangladesh throughNorthern India to Pakistan.
After the conquest ofSindh byMuhammad bin Qasim and the loss ofRaja Dahir,Islamization in Pakistan started and the population ofHindus started declining.[48] After that many otherIslamic conquests in Indian subcontinent entered through the Pakistan's region, including that ofGhaznavids,Ghurids andDelhi Sultanate, due to which theBuddhists andHindus were converted toIslam.[49] In the era ofMughal Empire, the land ofPakistan became a Muslim-majority area.[50]
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At the time of Pakistan’s creation, the “hostage theory” had been espoused. According to this theory the Hindu minority in Pakistan was to be given a fair deal in Pakistan in order to ensure the protection of the Muslim minority in India.[51][52]Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, stated in an address to the constituent assembly of Pakistan, "You will find that in course of time Hindus will cease to be Hindus and Muslims will cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as the citizens of the State."[53] However,Khawaja Nazimuddin, the2ndPrime Minister of Pakistan stated:"I do not agree that religion is a private affair of the individual nor do I agree that in an Islamic state every citizen has identical rights, no matter what his caste, creed or faith be".[54]
After theindependence ofPakistan in 1947, over more than 5 million (5.5 m, Noted in 1941 Census of British India ProvinceBalochistan,NWFP,Sindh,West Punjab and 0.5 Noted 1951 census of Pakistan) Hindus and Sikhs from West Pakistan left for India, and 6.5 million Muslims chose to migrate to Pakistan.[11][better source needed] The reasons for this exodus were the heavily charged communal atmosphere inBritish Raj, deep distrust of each other, the brutality of violent mobs and the antagonism between the religious communities.[55] That over 1 million people lost their lives in the bloody violence of 1947 should attest to the fear and hate that filled the hearts of millions of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs who left ancestral homes hastily after independence.[56]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 3,009,842 | — |
| 1911 | 2,766,581 | −0.84% |
| 1921 | 2,957,680 | +0.67% |
| 1931 | 3,298,570 | +1.10% |
| 1941 | 3,981,565 | +1.90% |
| 1951 | 531,131 | −18.24% |
| 1961 | 621,805 | +1.59% |
| 1972 | 900,206 | +3.42% |
| 1981 | 1,276,116 | +3.95% |
| 1998 | 2,443,614 | +3.90% |
| 2017 | 4,444,870 | +3.20% |
| 2023 | 5,217,216 | +2.71% |
| Including Hindu (Jati) and Scheduled Castes. Source:[b][c][d][e][a][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][10][69][70] | ||
Decadal censuses taken inBritish India revealed the religious composition of alladministrative divisions that would ultimately compose regions situated in contemporary Pakistan. The 1901Census in British India taken inadministrative divisions that would ultimately compose regions situated in contemporary Pakistan indicated that Hindus numbered approximately 3,009,842 persons and comprised roughly 17.1 percent of the total population,[b] followed by a decline to around 2,766,581 persons or to 14.7 percent in 1911.[c] The Hindu population would rise to approximately 2,957,680 persons in 1921 with the share of the total population rising to 15.3 percent,[c] prior to declining back to 14.7 percent in 1931, despite the total Hindu population growing to roughly 3,298,570 persons.[e][71][72][73][74][75][76][77]
In the final census taken prior to partition in 1941, Hindus constituted 14.6% of the population in West Pakistan (currently Pakistan)[a] and 28% of the population in East Pakistan (currently Bangladesh).[9][10] After Pakistan gainedindependence fromBritain on 14 August 1947, 4.7 million of the country'sHindus andSikhs migrated to India.[11]
In the 1951 census,West Pakistan (contemporaryPakistan) had 1.58% Hindu population, whileEast Pakistan (contemporaryBangladesh) had 22.03%.[78][79][80] During the same census, Hindus constituted approximately 12.9% of the total population of Pakistan (composing contemporary Pakistan andBangladesh) which represented the second-largest Hindu-population country after India.[81]
In 1956, the government of Pakistan declared 32 castes and tribes, the majority of them Hindus, to beScheduled Caste, including Kohlis, Meghawars, and Bheels.[82][83] After 1971, Bangladesh separated from Pakistan and the population of Hindus and other Non-Muslims declined in Pakistan as Bangladesh population was no longer part of the census conducted in Pakistan.[84]
The 1998census of Pakistan recorded 2,443,614 Hindus, which (includes 332,343Scheduled Caste Hindus), which constitutes to 1.85 percentage of the total population of Pakistan.[85][65] and about 7.5% in the Sindh province.
The 2017 census recorded 4,444,870 Hindus (includes 849,614Scheduled Caste Hindus) which constituting 2.14% of the total population of Pakistan.[66][67]
The Pakistan census separates the members of scheduled castes from Hindus and has assessed that they form 0.41% of the national population in 2017 census (up from 0.25% in 1998 census).[67][65][81]However, the actual population ofScheduled Caste Hindus is expected to be much higher, as the Scheduled Caste Hindus categorise themselves as Hindus in the census rather than asScheduled Caste .[86] Also the Scheduled Caste may not include all Hindu scheduled castes, like Jogi community which are not formally listed as Scheduled Caste in Pakistan.[87]
As per the data from the Election Commission of Pakistan, as of 2018 there were a total of 1.77 millionHindu voters. Hindu voters were 49% of the total in Umerkot and 46% in Tharparkar.[88][89][90][91] According to estimates in religious minorities in Pakistan's elections, Hindus have a population of 50,000 or more in 11 districts. All of these are in Sindh except theRahim Yar Khan District in Punjab.[92]
| Year | Number | Percent | Increase | Growth | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 3,009,842 | 17.07% | - | - | [b] |
| 1911 | 2,766,581 | 14.71% | -2.36% | -8.08% | [c] |
| 1921 | 2,957,680 | 15.25% | +0.54% | +6.9% | [d] |
| 1931 | 3,298,570 | 14.65% | -0.6% | +11.52% | [e] |
| 1941 | 3,981,565 | 14.6% | -0.05% | +20.7% | [a] |
| 1951 | 531,131 | 1.58% | -13.2% | -86.66% | [57][58] |
| 1961 | 621,805 | 1.45% | -0.13% | +17.7% | [59][60] |
| 1972 | 900,206 | 1.44% | -0.01% | +44.77% | [61] |
| 1981 | 1,276,116 | 1.51% | +0.07% | +41.75% | [62][63] |
| 1998 | 2,443,614 | 1.85% | +0.34% | +91.48% | [65] |
| 2017 | 4,444,870 | 2.14% | +0.29% | +81.89% | [66][67] |
| 2023 | 5,217,216 | 2.17% | +0.03% | +17.37% |
According to the 1901 census, the Hindu population in Pakistan comprised roughly 3.01 million persons or 17.1 percent of the total population.[b] With the exception of theFederally Administered Tribal Areas, alladministrative divisions in the region that composes contemporary Pakistan collected religious data, with a combined population of 17,633,258, for an overall response rate of 99.6 percent out of the total population of 17,708,014, as detailed in the table below.[b]
| Administrative division | 1901 census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindu Population | Hindu Percentage | Total Responses | Total Population | |
| Punjab[93][98][f] | 1,944,363 | 18.65% | 10,427,765 | 10,427,765 |
| Sindh[94][g] | 787,683 | 23.1% | 3,410,223 | 3,410,223 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[95] | 129,306 | 6.31% | 2,050,724[j] | 2,125,480[j] |
| AJK[97][h] | 108,331 | 12.41% | 872,915 | 872,915 |
| Balochistan[96] | 38,158 | 4.71% | 810,746 | 810,746 |
| Gilgit–Baltistan[97][i] | 2,001 | 3.29% | 60,885 | 60,885 |
| Pakistan | 3,009,842 | 17.07% | 17,633,258 | 17,708,014 |
According to the 1911 census, the Hindu population in Pakistan comprised roughly 2.77 million persons or 14.7 percent of the total population.[c] With the exception of theFederally Administered Tribal Areas, alladministrative divisions in the region that composes contemporary Pakistan collected religious data, with a combined population of 18,806,379, for an overall response rate of 92.1 percent out of the total population of 20,428,473, as detailed in the table below.[c]
| Administrative division | 1911 census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindu Population | Hindu Percentage | Total Responses | Total Population | |
| Punjab[99][104][k] | 1,645,758 | 14.82% | 11,104,585 | 11,104,585 |
| Sindh[100][l] | 877,313 | 23.47% | 3,737,223 | 3,737,223 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[101] | 119,942 | 5.46% | 2,196,933[j] | 3,819,027[j] |
| AJK[103][m] | 84,130 | 9.85% | 854,531 | 854,531 |
| Balochistan[102] | 38,326 | 4.59% | 834,703 | 834,703 |
| Gilgit–Baltistan[103][n] | 1,112 | 1.42% | 78,404 | 78,404 |
| Pakistan | 2,766,581 | 14.71% | 18,806,379 | 20,428,473 |
According to the 1921 census, the Hindu population in Pakistan comprised roughly 2.96 million persons or 15.3 percent of the total population.[d] With the exception of theFederally Administered Tribal Areas, alladministrative divisions in the region that composes contemporary Pakistan collected religious data, with a combined population of 19,389,016, for an overall response rate of 87.3 percent out of the total population of 22,214,152, as detailed in the table below.[d]
| Administrative division | 1921 census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindu Population | Hindu Percentage | Total Responses | Total Population | |
| Punjab[105][o] | 1,797,141 | 15.12% | 11,888,985 | 11,888,985 |
| Sindh[106][p] | 876,629 | 25.24% | 3,472,508 | 3,472,508 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[107] | 149,881 | 6.66% | 2,251,340[j] | 5,076,476[j] |
| AJK[109][q] | 81,733 | 9.22% | 886,861 | 886,861 |
| Balochistan[108] | 51,348 | 6.42% | 799,625 | 799,625 |
| Gilgit–Baltistan[109][r] | 948 | 1.06% | 89,697 | 89,697 |
| Pakistan | 2,957,680 | 15.25% | 19,389,016 | 22,214,152 |
According to the 1931 census, the Hindu population in Pakistan comprised roughly 3.30 million persons or 14.7 percent of the total population.[e] With the exception of theFederally Administered Tribal Areas, alladministrative divisions in the region that composes contemporary Pakistan collected religious data, with a combined population of 22,514,768, for an overall response rate of 90.9 percent out of the total population of 24,774,056, as detailed in the table below.[e]
| Administrative division | 1931 census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindu Population | Hindu Percentage | Total Responses | Total Population | |
| Punjab[110][s] | 1,957,878 | 13.94% | 14,040,798 | 14,040,798 |
| Sindh[111][t] | 1,055,119 | 25.65% | 4,114,253 | 4,114,253 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[112] | 142,977 | 5.9% | 2,425,076[j] | 4,684,364[j] |
| AJK[114][w] | 87,554 | 9.03% | 969,578 | 969,578 |
| Balochistan[113] | 53,681 | 6.18% | 868,617 | 868,617 |
| Gilgit–Baltistan[114][v] | 1,361 | 1.41% | 96,446 | 96,446 |
| Pakistan | 3,298,570 | 14.65% | 22,514,768 | 24,774,056 |
According to the 1941 census, the Hindu population in Pakistan comprised roughly 3.98 million persons or 14.6 percent of the total population.[a] With the exception of theFederally Administered Tribal Areas, alladministrative divisions in the region that composes contemporary Pakistan collected religious data, with a combined population of 27,266,001, for an overall response rate of 92.0 percent out of the total population of 29,643,600, as detailed in the table below.[a]
| Administrative division | 1941 census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindu Population | Hindu Percentage | Total Responses | Total Population | |
| Punjab[115]: 42 [x] | 2,373,466 | 13.68% | 17,350,103 | 17,350,103 |
| Sindh[116]: 28 [y] | 1,279,530 | 26.43% | 4,840,795 | 4,840,795 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[117]: 22 | 180,321 | 5.94% | 3,038,067[j] | 5,415,666[j] |
| AJK[119]: 337–352 [u] | 93,559 | 8.72% | 1,073,154 | 1,073,154 |
| Balochistan[118]: 13–18 | 54,394 | 6.34% | 857,835 | 857,835 |
| Gilgit–Baltistan[119]: 337–352 [z] | 295 | 0.25% | 116,047 | 116,047 |
| Pakistan | 3,981,565 | 14.6% | 27,266,001 | 29,643,600 |
At the administrative unit level in the region that composes contemporary Pakistan, as per the 1941 census, the largest Hindu concentrations existed inTharparkar District (Hindus formed 42.60 percent of the total population and numbered 247,496 persons),Shakargarh Tehsil[aa] (39.98 percent or 116,553 persons),Hyderabad District (32.40 percent or 245,849 persons),Karachi District (31.18 percent or 222,597 persons),Sukkur District (28.22 percent or 195,458 persons),Nawabshah District (24.04 percent or 140,428 persons),Sialkot District (19.43 percent or 231,319 persons),Quetta–Pishin District (18.32 percent or 28,629 persons),Larkana District (17.81 percent or 91,062 persons),Multan District (16.83 percent or 249,872 persons),Lahore District (16.79 percent or 284,689 persons),Mirpur District (16.44 percent or 63,576 persons),Khairpur State (16.22 percent or 49,604 persons),Montgomery District (15.87 percent or 210,966 persons), andBolan District (15.81 percent or 950 persons).[115][116][117][118][119]
| Administrative Unit | Administrative division | 1941 census[115][116][117][118][119] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindu Population | Hindu Percentage | Total Population | ||
| Lahore District | Punjab | 284,689 | 16.79% | 1,695,375 |
| Multan District | Punjab | 249,872 | 16.83% | 1,484,333 |
| Tharparkar District | Sindh | 247,496 | 42.6% | 581,004 |
| Hyderabad District | Sindh | 245,849 | 32.4% | 758,748 |
| Sialkot District | Punjab | 231,319 | 19.43% | 1,190,497 |
| Karachi District | Sindh | 222,597 | 31.18% | 713,900 |
| Montgomery District | Punjab | 210,966 | 15.87% | 1,329,103 |
| Lyallpur District[ab] | Punjab | 204,059 | 14.61% | 1,396,305 |
| Sukkur District | Sindh | 195,458 | 28.22% | 692,556 |
| Bahawalpur State | Punjab | 174,408 | 13% | 1,341,209 |
| Nawabshah District | Sindh | 140,428 | 24.04% | 584,178 |
| Jhang District | Punjab | 129,889 | 15.81% | 821,631 |
| Shakargarh Tehsil[aa] | Punjab | 116,553 | 39.98% | 291,505 |
| Gujranwala District | Punjab | 108,115 | 11.85% | 912,234 |
| Shahpur District | Punjab | 102,172 | 10.23% | 998,921 |
| Larkana District | Sindh | 91,062 | 17.81% | 511,208 |
| Muzaffargarh District | Punjab | 90,643 | 12.72% | 712,849 |
| Sheikhupura District[ac] | Punjab | 89,182 | 10.46% | 852,508 |
| Gujrat District | Punjab | 84,643 | 7.66% | 1,104,952 |
| Rawalpindi District | Punjab | 82,478 | 10.5% | 785,231 |
| Dera Ghazi Khan District | Punjab | 67,407 | 11.59% | 581,350 |
| Mirpur District | AJK | 63,576 | 16.44% | 386,655 |
| Mianwali District | Punjab | 62,814 | 12.41% | 506,321 |
| Dadu District | Sindh | 58,372 | 14.99% | 389,380 |
| Peshawar District | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 51,212 | 6.01% | 851,833 |
| Khairpur State | Sindh | 49,604 | 16.22% | 305,787 |
| Attock District[ad] | Punjab | 43,209 | 6.39% | 675,875 |
| Jhelum District | Punjab | 40,888 | 6.49% | 629,658 |
| Dera Ismail Khan District | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 39,167 | 13.14% | 298,131 |
| Bannu District | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 31,471 | 10.63% | 295,930 |
| Hazara District | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 30,267 | 3.8% | 796,230 |
| Upper Sind Frontier District | Sindh | 28,664 | 9.43% | 304,034 |
| Quetta–Pishin District | Balochistan | 28,629 | 18.32% | 156,289 |
| Poonch jagir | AJK | 24,137 | 5.72% | 421,828 |
| Kohat District | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 17,527 | 6.06% | 289,404 |
| Mardan District | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 10,677 | 2.11% | 506,539 |
| Kalat State | Balochistan | 7,971 | 3.15% | 253,305 |
| Sibi District | Balochistan | 6,425 | 3.9% | 164,899 |
| Muzaffarabad District | AJK | 5,846 | 2.21% | 264,671 |
| Zhob District | Balochistan | 4,286 | 6.97% | 61,499 |
| Loralai District | Balochistan | 3,129 | 3.74% | 83,685 |
| Las Bela State | Balochistan | 1,701 | 2.46% | 69,067 |
| Chaghai District | Balochistan | 1,204 | 4.02% | 29,950 |
| Bolan District | Balochistan | 950 | 15.81% | 6,009 |
| Biloch Trans–Frontier Tract | Punjab | 160 | 0.4% | 40,246 |
| Astore District | Gilgit–Baltistan | 113 | 0.66% | 17,026 |
| Gilgit Leased Area | Gilgit–Baltistan | 108 | 0.48% | 22,495 |
| Kharan State | Balochistan | 99 | 0.29% | 33,832 |
| Gilgit Agency | Gilgit–Baltistan | 74 | 0.1% | 76,526 |
| Total Hindus | Pakistan | 3,981,565 | 14.6% | 27,266,001 |
According to the 1951 census, the Hindu population in Pakistan comprised 531,131 persons or 1.58 percent of the total population.
| Administrative division | 1951 Pakistani census | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jāti (Caste) | Scheduled Caste | Total Hindu population | Total responses | Total population | ||||||
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Sindh[ae] | 146,028 | 2.41% | 336,532 | 5.56% | 482,560 | 7.98% | 6,047,748[af] | 99.89% | 6,054,474 | 100% |
| Punjab | 2,756 | 0.01% | 30,296 | 0.15% | 33,052 | 0.16% | 20,636,702[ag] | 99.93% | 20,651,140 | 100% |
| Balochistan | 11,729 | 1.02% | 1,358 | 0.12% | 13,087 | 1.13% | 1,154,167[ah] | 98.31% | 1,174,036 | 100% |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 787 | 0.01% | 1,645 | 0.03% | 2,432 | 0.04% | 5,864,550[ai] | 99.4% | 5,899,905 | 100% |
| Pakistan | 161,300 | 0.48% | 369,831 | 1.1% | 531,131 | 1.58% | 33,703,167[aj] | 99.77% | 33,779,555 | 100% |
According to the 1961 census, the Hindu population in Pakistan comprised 621,805 persons or 1.45 percent of the total population.
| Administrative division | 1961 Pakistani census | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jāti (Caste) | Scheduled Caste | Total Hindu population | Total responses | Total population | ||||||
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Sindh[ak] | 189,764 | 2.22% | 378,766 | 4.43% | 568,530 | 6.64% | 8,559,538[al] | 99.92% | 8,566,512 | 100% |
| Punjab[am] | 4,372 | 0.02% | 37,593 | 0.15% | 41,965 | 0.16% | 25,581,643[an] | 99.85% | 25,619,437 | 100% |
| Balochistan[ao] | 8,996 | 0.77% | 840 | 0.07% | 9,836 | 0.85% | 1,161,011[ap] | 97.34% | 1,192,685 | 100% |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[aq] | 662 | 0.01% | 812 | 0.01% | 1,474 | 0.02% | 7,578,186[ar] | 99.72% | 7,599,627 | 100% |
| Pakistan | 203,794 | 0.48% | 418,011 | 0.97% | 621,805 | 1.45% | 42,880,378[as] | 99.77% | 42,978,261 | 100% |
According to the 1961 census, the Hindu population in Pakistan comprised 900,206 persons or 1.44 percent of the total population.
| Administrative division | 1972 Pakistani census | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jāti (Caste) | Scheduled Caste | Total Hindu population | Total responses | Total population | ||||||
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Sindh[at] | 271,530 | 1.92% | 543,922 | 3.84% | 815,452 | 5.76% | 14,155,909 | 100% | 14,155,909 | 100% |
| Punjab[au] | 6,569 | 0.02% | 54,836 | 0.15% | 61,405 | 0.16% | 37,610,159 | 100% | 37,610,159 | 100% |
| Balochistan[av] | 16,501 | 0.68% | 1,722 | 0.07% | 18,223 | 0.75% | 2,428,678 | 100% | 2,428,678 | 100% |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[aw] | 2,162 | 0.03% | 2,852 | 0.04% | 5,014 | 0.06% | 8,032,324[ax] | 73.83% | 10,879,781 | 100% |
| Islamabad Capital Territory | 75 | 0.03% | 37 | 0.02% | 112 | 0.05% | 234,813 | 100% | 234,813 | 100% |
| Pakistan | 296,837 | 0.48% | 603,369 | 0.97% | 900,206 | 1.44% | 62,461,883[ax] | 95.64% | 65,309,340 | 100% |
The percent of population of Hindus (separating theScheduled Caste from other Hindus) in the provinces in Pakistan, according to the 2017 census:[66][120]
| Province | Total Population | Hindu (Jati) | Scheduled Caste | All Hindus | Total Hindus % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sindh | 47,854,510 | 3,345,424 | 6.99% | 831,562 | 1.74% | 4,176,986 | 8.73% | 94% |
 Balochistan | 12,335,129 | 45,627 | 0.37% | 3,506 | 0.03% | 49,133 | 0.4% | 1.1% |
 Punjab | 109,989,655 | 198,251 | 0.18% | 13,390 | 0.012% | 211,641 | 0.2% | 4.76% |
 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 35,501,964 | 5,392 | 0.015% | 981 | 0.003% | 6,373 | 0.018% | 0.143% |
 Islamabad Capital Territory | 2,003,368 | 562 | 0.028% | 175 | 0.0087% | 737 | 0.0367% | 0.166% |
| Pakistan (total) | 207,684,626 | 3,595,256 | 1.73% | 849,614 | 0.41% | 4,444,870 | 2.14% | 100.00% |
Umerkot district (52.15%) is the only Hindu majority district in Pakistan.Tharparkar district has the highest population of Hindus in terms of absolute terms. Tharparkar is said to have most Hindus in absolute numbers at 811,507.[90][121][122] The four districts-Umerkot,Tharparkar,Mirpurkhas andSanghar hosts more than half of the Hindu population in Pakistan.[123]
All districts with a Hindu population greater than 1%, according to the 2017 census. In other districts the population of Hindus is less than 1%.[123]
| Administrative Unit | District | Percentage of Hindus |
|---|---|---|
| Sindh | Umerkot | 54.53% |
| Tharparkar | 43.39% | |
| Mirpurkhas | 38.74% | |
| Tando Allahyar | 34.17% | |
| Badin | 23.61% | |
| Tando Muhammad Khan | 22.25% | |
| Sanghar | 21.79% | |
| Matiari | 16.66% | |
| Hyderabad | 8.22% | |
| Ghotki | 6.19% | |
| Karachi South | 4.01% | |
| Jamshoro | 3.87% | |
| Shaheed Benazirabad | 3.86% | |
| Sukkur | 3.55% | |
| Kashmore | 3.22% | |
| Thatta | 3% | |
| Sujawal District | 2.91% | |
| Khairpur | 2.76% | |
| Jacobabad | 2.16% | |
| Malir | 1.77% | |
| Naushahro Feroze | 1.64% | |
| Larkana | 1.45% | |
| Shikarpur | 1.4% | |
| Karachi East | 1.38% | |
| Punjab | Rahim Yar Khan | 3.12% |
| Bahawalpur | 1.12% | |
| Balochistan | Sibi | 2.4% |
| Lasbela | 1.58% | |
| Jaffarabad | 1.34% | |
| Kacchi | 1.04% | |
| Mastung | 1% | |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Kohat | 2% |
| Bannu | 2% |
The official number of Hindus living in Pakistan is about 4.5 million or approx. 2.15% as per 2017 census conducted by Pakistan government authority.[124] However, at different time some of the demographic experts of Pakistan Hindu council as well as various Hindu politicians have given numbers based on their estimation research which have led to various controversies.[125] Pakistan has been accused on undercounting minority population over the decades.Karachi Supreme Court attorney Neel Keshav claimed that the Hindu population in Pakistan is likely to be much higher, as reported byPakistan Today newspaper. Neel Keshav further claimed that the 1998 census data showed a Hindu population of nearly 2 million. While the new census showed that it had only risen to 3.5 million in 20 years," which throws a light possibility of undercounting Hindu population.[126][127]
| Source/claimed by | Population | Year of claimed |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan Hindu Council[128] | 8,000,000 | 2020 |
| Gulf News (U.A.E based)[129] | 8,800,000 | 2019 |
| The Economic Times (according to an official estimation)[130] | 7,500,000 | 2021 |
| According to Hindu community of Pakistan[130] | 9,000,000 | 2021 |
| Claimed byMangla Sharma, member provincial assembly (MPA) fromMuttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P)[131] | 10,000,000 | 2020 |
According to a 2015 report byIndia TV, Hinduism is reported to be the fastest-growing religion in Pakistan. The report highlights that the total Hindu fertility rate in Pakistan stands at 3.2, which is equivalent to the Muslim fertility rate in India.[132] Pakistan's population is projected to increase to367.8 million by 2050. As of the2023 Census, Pakistan currently hosts 5.2 million Hindus, making it the world'sfifth-largest Hindu population.[133] By 2050, it is projected to climb to the fourth position with 11.55 million Hindus. This surpasses Indonesia, the current fourth-largest Hindu country, according to thePew Research Center.[134] However, according to Pakistani newspaperDAWN, 5,000 Hindus migrate to India every year seeking safety from religious persecution.[135] The same newspaper have also reported that some 1,000 Hindu women are forced to convert and marry Muslim men in Pakistan annually.[136]
One of the biggest issues the Hindu community faces in Pakistan is theforced conversion of minor Hindu girls to Islam; the number of such conversions, according to one highest estimate, is up to 1,000 per year.[137][138][139]
Girls are often kidnapped by complicit acquaintances and relatives or men looking for brides. Sometimes they are taken by powerful landlords as payment for outstanding debts by their farmhand parents, and the authorities often look the other way.[140] In one case, a landlord abducted a Hindu daughter from a farm worker and falsely claimed the teen was compensation for a $1,000 debt that the family owed him.[141] Religious institutions and persons likeAbdul Haq (Mitthu Mian) politician and caretaker ofBharachundi Sharif Dargah inGhotki district and Pir Ayub Jan Sirhindi, the caretaker of Dargah pir sarhandi inUmerkot District support forced conversions and are known to have support and protection of ruling political parties of Sindh.[142][143][144] According to the National Commission of Justice and Peace and the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) around 1000 non-Muslim minority women are converted to Islam and then forcibly married off. This practice is being reported increasingly in the districts ofTharparkar,Umerkot andMirpur Khas in Sindh.[143][145]
In November 2016, a bill against forced conversion was passed unanimously by the Sindh Provisional Assembly. However, the bill failed to make it into law as the Governor returned the bill. The Bill was effectively blocked by political parties like theCouncil of Islamic Ideology andJamaat-e-Islami.[146]
In 2019, a bill against forced conversion was proposed by Hindu politicians in the Sindh assembly, but was turned down by the rulingPakistan Peoples Party lawmakers.[147]
There are also Irish Christian missionaries and Ahmadiyya missionaries operating in theThar region. The Christian and Ahmadi missionaries offer impoverished Hindus schools, health clinics etc. as an inducement for those who convert.[14] Korean Christian missionaries are also very active in Sindh, who have built schools from Badin to Tharparkar.[148]
Korean Christian missionaries have converted more than 1,000 Hindu families in 2012 alone. According to the Sono Kangharani, a member of the Pakistan Dalit Network, the Korean missionaries have been active in the area since 2011 and these missionaries do not focus on individuals but they convert entire villages. According to him, about 200 to 250 Hindu villages were converted in the last two and a half years between 2014 and 2016.[142]
Many Hindus are induced to convert to Islam for easily getting Watan Cards and National Identification Cards. These converts were also given land and money. For example, 428 poor Hindus in Matli were converted between 2009 and 2011 by the Madrassa Baitul Islam, aDeobandi seminary in Matli, which pays off the debts of Hindus converting to Islam.[149] Another example is the conversion of 250 Hindus to Islam in Chohar Jamali area inThatta.[150] Conversions are also carried out by Baba Deen Mohammad Shaikh mission which converted 108,000 people to Islam since 1989.[151]
ThePakistan Hindu Panchayat,Pakistan Hindu Council, Pakistan Hindu Youth Council[152] and thePakistani Hindu Welfare Association are the primary civic organizations that represent and organise Hindu communities on social, economic, religious and political issues in most of the country, with the exception of the Shiv Temple Society of Hazara, which especially represents community interests in theHazara region ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, in addition to being the special guardians of theShiva temple, atChitti Gatti village, nearMansehra. The Pakistan Hindu Council runs 13 schools across Tharparkar and also conducts mass wedding of poor Hindu couples.[153][154] TheDalit Sujag Tehreek is aScheduled Caste Hindu movement representing the scheduled caste Hindu communities like Kolhi, Bheel, Meghwar, Oad, Bhagri etc.[155]
ISKCON also has a presence in Pakistan. It is involved in preaching and distributing Urdu translatedBhagavad Gita. It has a large following among theScheduled Caste Hindus in Urban areas of Pakistan. There is a significant increase in the influence of Iskcon due to its rejection of caste system.[156] Iskcon has been conductingRathayatras since 2015.[157]
There was aMinistry of Minority Affairs in theGovernment of Pakistan which looked after specific issues concerning Pakistani religious minorities. In 2011, the Government of Pakistan closed the Ministry of Minority Affairs.[158][159] And a new ministryMinistry for National Harmony was formed for the protection of the rights of the minorities in Pakistan.[160] But in 2013, the Ministry of National Harmony was merged with the Ministry of Religious Affairs despite opposition from the minorities.[161]
Between 1947 and 2000, a policy of restricting Hindus prior enlisting in the Pakistan Army was in practice until the policy was reversed by the federal government.[162] In 2006, army recruiters began recruiting Hindus into the army and people of all faith or no faith can be promoted to any rank or commanding position in the army.[163][164] Pakistani Hindus have served in the Pakistan Armed Forces, with milestones including Captain Danish as the first Hindu officer commissioned in 2006,[165] Major Dr Kelash Kumar and Major Dr Aneel Kumar as the first Hindu officers promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 2022,[166] and Dev Anand as the first Hindu pilot officer in the Pakistan Air Force in 2023.[167] Three notable Pakistani Hindu martyrs include Heman Das Kohli, killed in the line of duty in 2023,[168] Lance Naik Lal Chand Rabari, killed in the line of duty in 2017[169] andAshok Kumar, posthumously awarded the Tamgha‑e‑Shujaat for bravery in Waziristan in 2013.[170]
The Constitution's Article 51(2A) provides 10 reserved seats for non-Muslims in the National Assembly, 23 reserved seats for non-Muslims in the four provincial assemblies under Article 106[171] and four seats for non-Muslims in theSenate of Pakistan.[92] Conventionally, Hindus were allotted 4 or 5 seats.The number of national Assembly seats were increased from 207 in 1997, to 332 in 2002. But the number of non-Muslim reserved seats were not increased from 10. Similarly, the number of seats in Provincial Assembly of Sindh and Punjab were increased from 100 to 159 and 240 to 363 respectively, but the non-Muslim reserved seats were not increased.[83] Although a bill for increasing minorities' seats was introduced byRamesh Kumar Vankwani, it was not passed.[172] Political partiesJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) party is against giving reserved seats for minorities.[173]
In 1980sZia ul-Haq introduced a system under which non-Muslims could vote for only candidates of their own religion. Seats were reserved for minorities in the national and provincial assemblies. Government officials stated that the separate electorates system is a form ofaffirmative action designed to ensure minority representation, and that efforts are underway to achieve a consensus among religious minorities on this issue, but critics argued that under this system Muslim candidates no longer had any incentive to pay attention to the minorities. Hindu community leader Sudham Chand protested against the system but was murdered. In 1999, Pakistan abolished this system.Hindus and other minorities achieved a rare political victory in 2002 with the removal of separate electorates for Muslims and non-Muslims. The separate electorate system had marginalized non-Muslims by depriving them of adequate representation in the assemblies. The Pakistan Hindu Welfare Association was active by convening a national conference on the issue in December 2000. And in 2001, Hindus, Christians, and Ahmadis successfully conducted a partial boycott of the elections, culminating in the abolishment of the separate electorate system in 2002. This allowed religious minorities to vote for mainstream seats in the National and Provincial assemblies, rather than being confined to voting for only minority seats. Despite the victory, however, Hindus still remain largely disenfranchised.[174]
In 2006,Ratna Bhagwandas Chawla became the first Hindu woman elected to theSenate of Pakistan.[175] Although there is reservation of seats for women inPakistan National Assembly, not a single seat was allotted for non-Muslim women till 2018. In 2018 a Hindu woman,Krishna Kumari Kohli, became the first non-Muslim woman to win a women's reserved seat in theSenate of Pakistan.[176]
In 2018, Pakistan general electionMahesh Kumar Malani became the first Hindu candidate who won a general seat in Pakistan National Assembly 2018. He won the seat fromTharparkar-II and thus became the first non-Muslim to win a general seat (non-reserved) in Pakistan national assembly.[177] In theSindh provincial assembly election which took place along with the Pakistan National Assembly election 2018,Hari Ram Kishori Lal and Giyan Chand Essrani were elected from the Sindh provincial assembly seats. They became the first non-Muslims to win a general seat (non-reserved) in a provincial assembly election.[178]
Sindhi Hindus are the biggest groups of Hindus in Pakistan and majority of the Hindus, resides in the Sindh province. A large population of them have migrated to India after the partition.[11]
Some Tamil Hindu families migrated to Pakistan in the early 20th century, when Karachi was developed during the British Raj, and were later joined bySri Lankan Tamils who arrived during theSri Lankan Civil War. TheMadrasi Para area is home to around 100 Tamil Hindu families. The MaripataMariamman Temple, which has been demolished, was the biggest Tamil Hindu temple in Karachi.[179] TheDrigh Road andKorangi also have a small Tamil Hindu population.[180]
TheKalasha people practice a religion which is based on an older set ofAncient Hinduism, but which has someVedic influence, alongsideanimism andshamanism.[181][182] Though having some cultural and religious similarities to theHindus, they are considered a separate ethnic religion people by the government of Pakistan.[183] They reside in theChitral District ofKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.[184]
Nanakpanthi are Hindus who revereGuru Nanak, the founder ofSikhism along with Hindu gods. Today, a large fraction ofSindhi Hindus consider themselves Nanakpanthi.[185]
The Valmiki or Balmikis are Hindu worshippers ofValmiki, the author of TheRamayana. Most Valmiki Hindus converted to either Christianity or Islam after the partition. However, many of those who converted still worship Valmiki and celebrate Valmiki Jayanti.[186][187] The most important centre for worship ofValmikis inPakistan isValmiki Mandir inLahore.[188] Most of the Balmikis (or Valmikis) belonged to theSchedule Caste.[189]
In the early times, before theIslamic conquest of Afghanistan, most of the modern-dayPashtun people followed to theHindu Religion.[190] Though due to the repeatedIslamic invasion in thePakhtun areas, most of them have converted to Islam or migrated to other parts of the Asia.[191] Still, there is a small Pashtun Hindu community, known as theSheen Khalai meaning 'blue skinned' (referring to the color of Pashtun women's facialtattoos), migrated to Unniara,Rajasthan, India afterpartition.[192] Prior to 1947, the community resided in theQuetta,Loralai and Maikhter regions of the British Indian province ofBaluchistan.[193] They are mainly members of the PashtunKakar tribe. Today, they continue to speak Pashto and celebrate Pashtun culture through theAttan dance.[192]
There is a small population ofPunjabi Hindus living in thePunjab province of Pakistan, most notably inLahore where there are some 200 Hindu families.[194][195] Though most of the Punjabi Hindus migrated en masse toIndia after the partition of India in 1947.[196] In the modern times most of the Punjabi Hindus are settled inUnited States,Germany,England,Canada andAustralia due to their mass migration (or diaspora).[197] A small proportion ofAfghan Punjabis are also there inPakistan inBalochistan andPunjab, majority of them areHindus who migrated fromAfghanistan mainly afterconflict due to the persecution ofTaliban and religious fanatics.[198]
According to a study,Information on Caste Based Discrimination in South Asia, Long Behind Schedule, a Study on the Plight ofScheduled Caste Hindus in Pakistan, the majority of scheduled caste Hindus (79%) in Pakistan have experienced discrimination. This discrimination is higher in southern Punjab (86.5%), compared to the rest of the country. The study found that majority (91.5%) of the respondents inRahimyar Khan,Bahawalpur,Tharparkar andUmerkot districts believed that political parties are not giving importance to them.[200][83]
InBalochistan province, Hindus are relatively more secure and face less religious persecution. The tribal chiefs in Balochistan, particularly the Jams of Lasbela and Bugti of Dera Bugti, consider non-Muslims like Hindus as members of their own extended family and allows religious freedom. They have never forced Hindus to convert. Also, in Balochistan Hindu places of worship are proportionate to their population. For example, between Uthal and Bela jurisdiction inLasbela District, there are 18 temples for 5,000 Hindus living in the area, which is an indicator of religious freedom.[201] However, inKhuzdar District andKalat District, Hindus face discrimination.[202]
InPeshawar, capital ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, Hindus enjoy religious freedom and live peacefully alongside the Muslims.The city of Peshawar today is home to four Hindu tribes – the Balmiks, the Rajputs, the Heer Ratan Raths and the Bhai Joga Singh Gurdwara community. Since partition, the four tribes have lived in harmony with all religious communities including Muslims. However, there is the lack of upkeep of the dilapidated Hindu temples in the city. The local government always fails to assign caretakers and priests at temples.[203] But in other parts of Kyber Pakhtunkhwa like Buner, Swat and Aurakzai Agencies, Hindu and Sikh families, have been targeted by Taliban for failing to payJizya (religious tax) and due to this more than 150 Sikhs and Hindu families in Pakistan's have moved toHasan Abdal andRawalpindi in Punjab in 2009[204]
In centralPunjab, Hindus are a small minority. After the partition, Hindus have been converting to Islam under pressure, particularly in Doda village near Sargodha. Due to the low population of Hindus in the Central Punjab, many of the Hindus have married Sikhs and vice versa. Intermarriages between the Hindus and Sikhs are very common there.[202]
TheIndus river is aholy river to many Hindus, and theGovernment of Pakistan periodically allows small groups of Hindus from India to make pilgrimage and take part in festivities in Sindh[205] and Punjab.[206] Rich Pakistani Hindus go to India and release their loved ones' remains into theGanges. Those who cannot afford the trip go toChurrio Jabal Durga Mata temple inNagarparkar.[207]
According to Pakistan's National Council for Justice and Peace (NCJP) report the average literacy rate among Hindu (upper caste) is 34 percent, HinduScheduled Caste is 19 percent, compared to the national average of 46.56 percent.[208] According to a 2013 survey conducted by the Pakistan Hindu Seva Welfare Trust, the literacy rate amongScheduled Caste Hindus in Pakistan is just 16%. The survey noted that majority of the scheduled caste Hindu families do not send their girl children to schools due to the fear of forced conversion.[209] Pakistan belongs to those nations who have the world's worst literacy rate, which is the main reason for its slow agricultural growth and sluggish economy. Pakistan's literacy rate is ranked 113 in a total of 120 countries. This is a huge issue for the country and its economic development.[210][211]
There are two laws governing Hindu marriages-Sindh Hindu Marriage act of 2016 (applicable only in theSindh province), Hindu Marriage Act of 2017 (applicable inIslamabad Capital Territory,Balochistan,Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa andPunjab provinces). However, there are no laws and amendments made to register a marriage between two Hindus – from one Province to another (Islamabad Capital Territory,Balochistan,Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa andPunjab).[212]
The Sindh Hindu Marriage Bill was passed by theProvincial Assembly of Sindh in February 2016. This was the first Hindu Marriage act in Pakistan.[213][214][215] It was amended in 2018 to include divorce rights, remarriage rights and financial security of the wife and children after divorce.[216]
At federal level, a Hindu Marriage Bill was proposed in 2016, which was unanimously approved by theNational Assembly of Pakistan in 2016[217][218] and by theSenate of Pakistan in 2017.[219] In March 2017, the Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain signed the Hindu Marriage Bill and thereby making it a law. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also mentioned that the marriage registrars will be established in areas where Hindus stay.[220] However, many have criticised the Clause 12(iii) of the Hindu Marriage Bill which says that "a marriage will be annulled if any of the spouses converts to another religion".[214]
The Communal violence of the 1940s and the subsequent persecutions have resulted in thedestruction of many Hindu temples in Pakistan, although the Hindu community and theGovernment of Pakistan have preserved and protected many prominent ones. Some ancient Hindu temples in Pakistan draw devotees from across faiths including Muslims.[221]
According to a survey, there were 428 Hindu temples in Pakistan at the time of Partition and 408 of them were now turned into toy stores, restaurants, government offices and schools.[21] Among these 11 temples are inSindh, four in Punjab, three inBalochistan and two inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, in November 2019, government of Pakistan started the restoration process for 400 Hindu temples in Pakistan. After restoration, the temples will be reopened to Hindus in Pakistan.[21]
ThePamwal Das Shiv Mandir, centuries-old historic temple in Baghdadi area ofLyari Town was illegally turned into a Muslim Pir and slaughterhouse for cows by Muslim clerics with the help of Baghdadi police after making series of attacks on Hindu families living in the area.[222][223][224] The 135,000 acres of temple land is now controlled by the Evacuee Trust Property Board. The historic Kali Bari Hindu Temple has been rented out to a Muslim party in Dera Ismail Khan who converted the temple into a Hotel. The Holy Shiv Temple in Kohat has been converted into a government primary school. The Raam Kunde Complex of Temples atSaidpur village in Islamabad is now a picnic site. Another temple at Rawal Dam in Islamabad has been shut down and the Hindu community believes that the temple is going to dilapidate day by day without being handed over to them. In Punjab, a Hindu temple at Rawalpindi was destroyed and reconstructed to use as a community centre, while in Chakwal the Bhuwan temple complex is being used by the local Muslim community for commercial purposes.[225]
According to a report issued by a one-man commission to theSupreme Court in February 2021, out of 365 Hindu temples built before partition in Pakistan, 13 are being managed by theEvacuee Trust Property Board, 65 are being managed by the Hindu community, and the remainder of 287 have been abandoned to land mafias.[226]
TheGoraknath Temple which was closed in the 1947 was reopened in 2011 after a court ruling which ordered theEvacuee Trust Property Board to open it.[227][228][229][230] Some temples were reopened and renovated in a public-private partnership like theDarya Lal Mandir in Karachi.[231]
In 2019, the Pakistan Prime MinisterImran Khan said that his government will reclaim and restore 400 temples to Hindus.[232] Following this, the 1,000-Year-OldShivala Teja Singh temple in Sialkot (which was closed for 72 years)[233] and a 100-year-old Hindu temple in Balochistan was reopened.[234]
There has been a historical decline ofHinduism,Buddhism andSikhism in the areas ofPakistan. This happened for a variety of reasons even as these religions have continued to flourish beyond the eastern frontiers of Pakistan. The region became predominantlyMuslim during the rule ofDelhi Sultanate and laterMughal Empire. In general, religious conversion was a gradual process, though it is mostly attributed to the works of Sufis, some converted to Islam to gain tax relief, land grant, marriage partners, social and economic advancement,[249] or freedom from slavery and some by force.[250] The predominantly Muslim population supportedMuslim League andPartition of India. After theindependence ofPakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhsmigrated toIndia while the Muslims refugees from India migrated to Pakistan. Approximately 4.7 million Hindus and Sikhs moved to India while 6.5 million Muslims settled in Pakistan.
Some Hindus in Pakistan feel that they are treated as second-class citizens and many have continued to migrate to India.[251][252] According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan data, around 1,000 Hindu families fled to India in 2013.[253] In May 2014, a member of the rulingPakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, revealed in the National Assembly of Pakistan that around 5,000 Hindus are migrating from Pakistan to India every year.[254]
The London-based Minority Rights Group and Islamabad-based International and Sustainable Development Policy Institute state that religious minorities in Pakistan such as Hindus face "high levels of religious discrimination", and "legal and social discrimination in almost every aspect of their lives, including political participation, marriage and freedom of belief".[255]
Those Pakistani Hindus who have migrated to India allege that Hindu girls are sexually harassed in Pakistani schools and their religious practices are mocked.[256] The Indian government is planning to issueAadhaar cards andPAN cards to Pakistani Hindu refugees, and simplifying the process by which they can acquire Indian citizenship.[257] In 2019,India passed theCitizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 that allows the persecuted Pakistani Hindus and Sikhs who arrived in India before the end of December 2014 to obtain Indian citizenship.[258][259]
Jogendranath Mandal, Pakistan's first minister of Law and Labour, left for India in 1950, 3 years after taking office, citing anti-Hindu bias by the bureaucracy.[260] He quoted, "I have come to the conclusion that Pakistan is no place for Hindus to live in and that their future is darkened by the ominous shadow of conversion or liquidation".[261]
Separate electorates for Hindus and Christians were established in 1985—a policy originally proposed by Islamist leaderAbul A'la Maududi. Christian and Hindu leaders complained that they felt excluded from the county's political process, but the policy had strong support from Islamists.[262] Until 1999, when former military chiefPervez MusharrafoverthrewNawaz Sharif's government, non-Muslims had dual voting rights in the general elections that allowed them to not only vote for Muslim candidates on general seats, but also for their own non-Muslim candidates.[263]
In the aftermath of theBabri Masjid demolition, widespread violence erupted against Hindus.[264][265] Shops owned by Hindus were also attacked inSukkur,Sindh. Hindu homes and temples were also attacked inQuetta.[19][266]
In December 2020, a mob inKarak District attacked and set fire to a Hindu temple which was originally demolished in 1997 before being restored by thePakistan Supreme Court in 2017. The head of thePakistan Hindu Council,Ramesh Kumar Vankwani stated "We will stage a protest in front of the Supreme Court against the attack on our temple which is one of the four largest holy sites of the Hindu community in Pakistan."[267] Religious discrimination remains common to this day throughout the country, and Pakistan has been designated a 'Country of Particular Concern' by theUnited States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for engaging in or tolerating "systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom".[268]
The rise ofTaliban insurgency in Pakistan has been an influential and increasing factor in the persecution of and non-Muslims in Pakistan.[269][270][271][272] Between 2011 and 2012, 23 Hindus were kidnapped for ransom and 13 Hindus were killed as a part of targeted killings of non-Muslims.[142] In January 2014, a policeman standing guard outside a Hindu temple at Peshawar was gunned down.[273] Pakistan's Supreme Court has sought a report from the government on its efforts to ensure access for the minority Hindu community to temples – the Karachi bench of the apex court was hearing applications against the alleged denial of access to the members of the minority community.[274][275][276]
Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria recently alleged mistreatment by team members and management for being a Hindu.[277]
In June 2023, the Pakistan Higher Education Commission banned the celebration of the Hindu festivalHoli on institute campuses to preserve "Islamic identity" and "sociocultural values" which flared the issue of religious discrimination in the country.[278][279][280] The ban was later removed a month later by the education commission, following outrage on social media.[281]
A Hindu temple was attacked with rocket launchers by a gang of dacoits in the Southern Sindh Province of Pakistan on July 16, in the second such incident of vandalism of a place of worship belonging to the minority community in less than two days. The assailants attacked the small temple built by the local Hindu community and adjoining homes belonging to members of the minority community in the Kashmore area of the Sindh Province. The attack came after the Mari Mata Temple in Karachi's Soldier Bazar was razed to the ground by bulldozers in the presence of a heavy contingent of police force late on Friday night. The temple believed to be nearly 150 years ago was demolished after being declared an old and dangerous structure in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh Province.[282]
As per a written response to parliament by IndianMinister of State for External AffairsKirti Vardhan Singh in December 2024, a total of 112 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities have been reported in Pakistan in 2024 till October.[283][284]
According to the Sustainable Development Policy Institute report, "Associated with the insistence on the Ideology of Pakistan has been an essential component of hate against India and the Hindus. For the upholders of the Ideology of Pakistan, the existence of Pakistan is defined only in relation to Hindus, and hence the Hindus have to be painted as negatively as possible".[285]
A 2005 report by the National Commission for Justice and Peace, a non-profit organization, found that Pakistan Studies textbooks in Pakistan have been used to articulate the hatred that Pakistani policy-makers have attempted to inculcate towards the Hindus. "From the government-issued textbooks, students are taught that Hindus are backward and superstitious", the report stated.[286][287][288][289]
In 1975, Islamiat or Islamic studies was made compulsory, resulting that a large number of minority students being forced to studyIslamic Studies.[290][291] In 2015,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government introduced Ethics as an alternative subject to Islamiat for non-Muslim school children in the province[292] followed bySindh in 2016.[290]
Hindu students are often forced to study as per the Islamic curriculum. It has been reported that students are taught hatred against the Hindus in Pakistan's school.[293][294] While speaking at the UN Working Group on Durban Declaration and Plan of Action in Genava, Munir Mengal, the president of Baloch Voice Association said, "I used to go to school in a very high standard state-run Army school called Cadet College the first lesson to us was Hindus are Kafirs, Jews are enemies of Islam both are liable to death for no other reason".He added, "Even today the same is the first most important and basic message from uniformed Army teachers that we have to respect guns and bombs because we have to use these against Hindu mothers to kill them otherwise they will give birth to a Hindu child".[295]
In 2021, Single National Curriculum (SNC) was adopted by the Pakistan government in which instead of Islamiat for Muslims, the Non-Muslim students belonging to Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Kalash and Bahai religions will be taught separate books on their religion separately.[296]
As per the new Curriculum, Hindu students from Grade 1 to 5 will study about Om symbol, Dharma, Moksha, Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, arti song Om Jai jagdhesh with meaning, Hindu celebrations (like Ram Navmi, Diwali, Cheti Chand, Janmashtami), Hindu deities (like Ganesh, Jhulelal, Sita) Prahlad pictorial life story of Ram, Krishna, Hindu Saints like Valmiki, Mira Bai, Kabir das, Tulsi das; Sacred places of Hindus in Pakistan likeSant Nenuram Ashram,Sadhu Bela,Hinglaj Mata Mandir etc.[297] The Brookings Institution, in a recent report evaluating the SNC, points to the phenomenon of isomorphic mimicry in which developing states "pretend to do the reforms that look like the kind of reforms that successful countries do" without actually changing much. SNC also aims at mainstreaming madrassas, which might lead to spilling over of extremist and more theological subjects into formal schools.[298]
Prior to the partition of India in 1947 into two separate nation-states, a group of Western-educated Indian Muslims who constituted the Muslim League, the pivotal Muslim political organization in undivided India, ardently advocated the logical of creating a separate homeland for Indian Muslims. There were also debates between theSanskrit believersHindus andArabic believersMuslims.
Perhaps best known as home to Asia's earliest cities, the Harappan sites of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, Pakistan's rich history includes contributions from prominent Buddhist, Hindu, Hellenistic, Jain and Zoroastrian civilizations, as well as those connected to its Islamic heritage.
When the British Indian Empire was partitioned in 1847, 4.7 million Sikhs and Hindus left what is today Pakistan for India, and 6.5 million Muslims left India and moved to Pakistan.
Most of the Hindu population was in East Pakistan, where they constituted 22% of the population in 1951 and 18.4% in 1961. In West Pakistan, they represented only 1.6% (1951 and 1961) of the population.
Interestingly, Hindus, who were the single largest minority, constituted 22% of East Wing population and only 1.6% of West Pakistan
In Pakistan, the majority of Gujarati-speaking communities are in Karachi including Dawoodi Bohras, Ismaili Khojas, Memons, Kathiawaris, Katchhis, Parsis (Zoroastrians) and Hindus, said Gul Hasan Kalmati, a researcher who authoredKarachi, Sindh Jee Marvi, a book discussing the city and its indigenous communities. Although there are no official statistics available, community leaders claim that there are three million Gujarati-speakers in Karachi – roughly around 15 percent of the city's entire population.
The worship of theHinglaj Mata in Balochistan has been one of the most important tourist and religious pilgrimage for the Hindus of Pakistan and the trends has place in history from Medieval India. The origin of the pilgrimage was practised under the rule of Rajput king, Rao Shekha.
Perhaps best known as home to Asia's earliest cities, the Harappan sites of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, Pakistan's rich history includes contributions from prominent Buddhist, Hindu, Hellenistic, Jain and Zoroastrian civilizations, as well as those connected to its Islamic heritage.
Most of the Hindu population was in East Pakistan, where they constituted 22% of the population in 1951 and 18.4% in 1961. In West Pakistan, they represented only 1.6% (1951 and 1961) of the population.
Interestingly, Hindus, who were the single largest minority, constituted 22% of East Wing population and only 1.6% of West Pakistan
The logic of thehostage theory tied the treatment of Muslim minorities in India to the treatment meted out to Hindus in Pakistan.
Within the subcontinent, ML propaganda claimed that besides liberating the 'majority provinces' Muslims it would guarantee protection for Muslims who would be left behind in Hindu India. In this regard, it repeatedly stressed the hostage population theory that held that 'hostage' Hindu and Sikh minorities inside Pakistan would guarantee Hindu India's good behaviour towards its own Muslim minority.
Nazim-ud-Din favored an Islamic state not just out of political expediency but also because of his deep religious belief in its efficacy and practicality...Nazim-ud-Din commented:'I do not agree that religion is a private affair of the individual nor do I agree that in an Islamic state every citizen has identical rights, no matter what his caste, creed or faith be'.
Second, it was feared that if an exchange of populations was agreed to in principle in Punjab, ' there was likelihood of trouble breaking out in other parts of the subcontinent to force Muslims in the Indian Dominion to move to Pakistan. If that happened, we would find ourselves with inadequate land and other resources to support the influx.' Punjab could set a very dangerous precedent for the rest of the subcontinent. Given that Muslims in the rest of India, some 42 million, formed a population larger than the entire population of West Pakistan at the time, economic rationality eschewed such a forced migration. However, in divided Punjab, millions of people were already on the move, and the two governments had to respond to this mass movement. Thus, despite these important reservations, the establishment of the MEO led to an acceptance of a 'transfer of populations' in divided Punjab, too, 'to give a sense of security' to ravaged communities on both sides. A statement of the Indian government's position of such a transfer across divided Punjab was made in the legislature by Neogy on November 18, 1947. He stated that although the Indian government's policy was 'to discourage mass migration from one province to another.' Punjab was to be an exception. In the rest of the subcontinent migrations were not to be on a planned basis, but a matter of individual choice. This exceptional character of movements across divided Punjab needs to be emphasized, for the agreed and 'planned evacuations' by the two governments formed the context of those displacements.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Kalasha, the religion followed by Kalash community, lies between Islam and an ancient form of Hinduism.
During the 8th and 9th centuries AD the eastern terroritries of modern Afghanistan were still in the hands of non-Muslim rulers. The Muslims tended to regard them as Indians (Hindus), although many of the local rulers and people were apparently of Hunnic or Turkic descent. Yet, the Muslims were right in so far as the non-Muslim population of eastern Afghanistan was, culturally linked to the Indian sub-continent. Most of them were either Hindus or Buddhists
Before the emergence of Islam, the Pakhtuns were followers of Hinduism and Buddhism and considered music sacred, employing it in many religious rituals.
But many Hindu families who stayed in Pakistan after partition have already lost faith and migrated to India.
separate electorates for minorities in pakistan.
Muslims attacked more than 30 Hindu temples across Pakistan today, and the Government of this overwhelmingly Muslim nation closed offices and schools for a day to protest the destruction of a mosque in India.
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