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Pakistan’s
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (third from left) attends a memorial service for
peasant leader Fazil Rahoo. Sharif has made life difficult for religious minorities. Photo: Latif Rahoo | Wikimedia. |
On Monday, February 15th, the
southern Pakistani province of Sindh became the
first in the country to legally recognize Hindu marriages. Pakistan, which
is about 97% Muslim was formed in 1947 after the British pulled out of the
Indian Subcontinent. While it was intended as a Muslim refuge, it was supposed
to offer religious freedom to minorities, but hasn’t kept up that promise.
Christians, one of the larger
minority groups in the country, have an old British law from 1870, which allows
them to officially register their marriages, but Hindu marriages could not be
registered, and that leaves a lot of Hindus in a bad place.
Without legal documentation it’s
difficult for women to prove that they are married so they can be forced into
marriages. Lack of a legal document allows some women to become targets for
rape because they aren’t seen as following their prescribed roles in society.
Widows of such marriages are hit especially hard. They can’t claim benefits
they would otherwise be entitled to as widows.
The new law in Sindh can be
applied retroactively, allowing already married Hindus to certify that
relationship, as their Muslim neighbors do. This ruling gives many in the
region hope that they can improve their standing in the country. The National
Assembly is currently reviewing a similar bill, which would apply across the
country.
Violence against minorities has
been on the rise of late in Pakistan, and the conservative government doesn’t
seem to be doing much about it. They don’t provide adequate protection for
minorities, nor do they pursue action against those responsible for the
attacks.
Many claim that the issue has
gotten worse since 2013, when conservative Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came to
power. Since that time the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom has reported
that conditions for religious minorities there are at an all-time low.
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