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Hinduism in Pakistan

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Hindu Proportion of each Pakistani District in 2017 according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Hinduism is the second largest religious affiliation in Pakistan after Islam.[1] While Hinduism was one of the dominant faiths in the region a few centuries back,[2][3][4] today Hindus account for 2.14% of Pakistan's population or about 4.4 million people according to the 2017 Pakistani census, although Pakistan Hindu Council has claimed that there are 8 million Hindus living in Pakistan, making up 4% of the country's population.[5][6] The Umerkot district has the highest percentage of Hindu residents in the country at 52.2%, while Tharparkar district has the most Hindus in absolute numbers at 714,698.[7][8]

The Katas Raj Temples surrounding a sacred pond in Punjab.

Before the partition, according to the 1941 census, Hindus constituted 14.6% of the population in West Pakistan (which is now Pakistan)[lower-alpha 1] and 28% of the population in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).[9][10][11] After Pakistan gained independence from the British Raj, 4.7 million of West Pakistan's Hindus and Sikhs moved to India as refugees.[12] And in the first census afterwards in 1951, Hindus made up 1.6% of the total population of West Pakistan, and 22% of East Pakistan.[13][14][15]

Shawala Teja Singh Temple after Renovation by the Government.

Hindus in Pakistan are primarily concentrated in Sindh, where the majority of Hindu enclaves are found in Pakistan.[16] They speak a variety of languages such as Sindhi, Seraiki, Aer, Dhatki, Gera, Goaria, Gurgula, Jandavra, Kabutra, Koli, Loarki, Marwari, Vaghri,[17] and Gujarati.[18] Many Hindus, especially in the rural areas, follow the teachings of local Sufi pīrs (Urdu: spiritual guide) or adhere to the 14th-century saint Ramdevji, whose main temple Shri Ramdev Pir temple is located in Tando Allahyar. A growing number of urban Hindu youth in Pakistan associate themselves with ISKCON society.[19] Other communities worship manifold "Mother Goddesses" as their clan or family patrons.[24] A different branch, the Nanakpanth, 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 and Islam.[25] Despite being a predominantly Muslim nation, Pakistan's Sindh province boasts a remarkable Hindu heritage and cultural legacy. However, regrettably, discrimination is increasingly prevalent throughout Pakistan, including in Sindh. Nevertheless, the profound Hindu influence continues to shape the landscape and identity of Sindh.[26]

Though the Constitution 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 the State religion giving more privileges to Muslims than to Hindus and other religious minorities.[27] There have been numerous cases of violence and discrimination against Hindus, along with other minorities.[28] There have also been cases of violence and ill-treatment of Hindus, due to strict Blasphemy laws.[29]

Hawan at Shri Hinglaj Mata temple during Hinglaj Yatra.

One of the most important places of worship for Hindus in Pakistan is the shrine of Shri Hinglaj Mata temple in Balochistan.[30][31] The annual Hinglaj Yatra is the largest Hindu pilgrimage in Pakistan.[32]

Notes[edit]

  1. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Pakistan1941

References[edit]

  1. "Population Distribution by Religion, 1998 Census" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2016. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  2. Maclean, Derryl N. (1989). Religion and Society in Arab Sind. Brill. p. 52. ISBN 90-04-08551-3. Search this book on
  3. Stubbs, John H.; Thomson, Robert G. (2016-11-10). Architectural Conservation in Asia: National Experiences and Practice. Taylor & Francis. p. 427. ISBN 978-1-317-40619-8. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022. 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. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help) Search this book on
  4. Malik, Iftikhar Haider (2006). Culture and Customs of Pakistan. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-313-33126-8. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help) Search this book on
  5. Riazul Haq; Shahbaz Rana (27 May 2018). "Headcount finalised sans third-party audit". Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2021. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  6. "Hindu Population (PK)". Pakistan Hindu Council. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-18. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  7. "Hindus of Pakistan reject CAA, do not want Indian Prime Minister Modi's offer of citizenship". Gulf News. 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  8. "Mithi: Where a Hindu fasts and a Muslim does not slaughter cows". 4 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2022. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  9. Ranganathan, Anand. "The Vanishing Hindus of Pakistan – a Demographic Study". Newslaundry. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-11. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  10. The Bobbs-Merrill Reprint Series in Geography. Bobbs-Merrill Company. Search this book on
  11. Hill, Kenneth H.; Seltzer, William; Leaning, Jennifer; Malik, Saira J.; Russell, Sharon Stanton; Makinson, C (2004). A Demographic Case Study of Forced Migration: The 1947 Partition of India (Report). Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2020. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
    Session 44: Understanding the Forced Migration of Trafficked Persons and Refugees. Population Association of America 2004 Annual Meeting Program (Report). Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  12. Hasan, Arif; Raza, Mansoor (2009). Migration and Small Towns in Pakistan. IIED. p. 12. ISBN 9781843697343. 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. Search this book on
  13. Rawat, Mukesh (12 December 2019). "No, Pakistan's non-Muslim population didn't decline from 23% to 3.7% as BJP claims". India Today. Archived from the original on 9 September 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-06. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  14. Chakraborty, Chandrima (2017-10-02). Mapping South Asian Masculinities: Men and Political Crises. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-49462-1. 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. Search this book on
  15. Humayun, Syed (1995). Sheikh Mujib's 6-point Formula: An Analytical Study of the Breakup of Pakistan. Royal Book Company. ISBN 978-969-407-176-3. Interestingly, the Hindus, who were the single largest minority, constituted 22% of East Wing population and only 1.6% of West Pakistan Search this book on
  16. Ali, Naziha Syed (17 August 2017). "The truth about forced conversions in Thar". Dawn. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2019. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  17. "Pakistan". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2016. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  18. Rehman, Zia Ur (18 August 2015). "With a handful of subbers, two newspapers barely keeping Gujarati alive in Karachi". The News International. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2017. 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 authored Karachi, 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. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  19. Latief, Samiya (July 18, 2020). "Explained: Pakistan's Krishna Temple and the controversy over its construction". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-06. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  20. Avari 2013, pp. 219–220
  21. Abbasi, Muhammad Yusuf (1992). Pakistani Culture. Oxford University: HarperCollins. pp. 16. ISBN 9-789-694-15023-9. OCLC 218233296. Search this book on
  22. Ispahani 2017, pp. 56–61
  23. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named gulfnews
  24. [20][21][22][23]
  25. Taking its name from Pakstan, an acronym composed of the key letters of its constituent regions-Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Sindh, and Baluchistan-Pakistan at first welcomed all of its new citizens, Muslim and non-Muslim alike. Non-Muslims comprised 23 percent of the total population, and non-Sunnis comprised a quarter of the Muslim population. (Ispahani 2017, p. 1)
  26. "In Pakistan, Hindu culture perseveres despite discrimination". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  27. "Hindus feel the heat in Pakistan". BBC News. 2007-03-02. Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 2021-02-07. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  28. Rehman, Javaid (2000-04-13). The Weaknesses in the International Protection of Minority Rights. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 978-90-411-1350-4. Search this book on
  29. Haq, Farhat (2019-05-10). Sharia and the State in Pakistan: Blasphemy Politics. Routledge. pp. 124–136. ISBN 978-0-429-61999-1. Search this book on
  30. Schaflechner, Jürgen (2018). Hinglaj Devi : identity, change, and solidification at a Hindu temple in Pakistan. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 66. ISBN 9780190850555. OCLC 1008771979. The worship of the Hinglaj 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. Search this book on
  31. OnBecoming Gods. Pakistan: Being in the World Productions. 2011. Event occurs at 44 min. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2018-08-07 – via YouTube. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  32. "In a Muslim-majority country, a Hindu goddess lives on". Culture & History. 10 January 2019. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)

External links[edit]


Others articles of the Topic Religion : Christian Church, Full communion, God in Islam, Shirk (Islam)

Others articles of the Topic Hinduism : Serafim Kalliadasis
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