New Delhi: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s Independence Day remarks claiming that his country “tolerates” its Hindu minority have triggered renewed scrutiny over Pakistan’s record on religious freedom and minority rights.
Speaking at an Independence Day event in Islamabad on 14 August, Zardari claimed, “We have a 4% Hindu population in Pakistan. They are as free as anywhere else. They would rather be with us than India.” He also contrasted Pakistan’s outlook with what he described as an Indian belief in “Akhand Bharat” while discussing relations between the two neighbouring countries.
Zardari’s assertion about the size of Pakistan’s Hindu population also appears inconsistent with official census data. According to Pakistan’s 2023 census, around 5.2 million people were recorded as Hindus, constituting approximately 2.17 per cent of the country’s population. The figure includes about 3.87 million people classified as “Hindu Jati” and nearly 1.35 million listed under Scheduled Castes.
More significantly, the president’s description of Pakistan’s Hindu community as enjoying freedom “as anywhere else” comes amid longstanding concerns raised by rights organisations over the treatment of religious minorities.
Hindu and Christian women and girls, particularly in Sindh and Punjab, have repeatedly been reported as vulnerable to abduction, forced conversions and underage marriages. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has highlighted concerns surrounding forced conversions and marriages involving minority women and girls. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has likewise documented allegations involving Hindu girls in Sindh.
Zardari’s claim that Pakistani Hindus would prefer to remain in Pakistan rather than move to India also warrants scrutiny against the backdrop of Hindu families who have migrated from Pakistan to India over the years. Families have cited concerns relating to religious insecurity, alleged persecution, economic hardship and the safety of women and children.
At the same time, demographic comparisons require historical context. Pakistan at Partition included present-day Bangladesh, which had a considerably larger Hindu population before becoming independent Bangladesh in 1971. Therefore, comparisons between the Hindu population of undivided Pakistan in 1947 and Pakistan’s present-day figures need to account for this territorial change.
Pakistan’s minority-rights concerns extend beyond Hindus, with Christians and Ahmadiyya Muslims also facing reported discrimination, violence and legal restrictions.
Against this backdrop, Zardari’s “tolerate 4% Hindus” remark has once again put Pakistan’s treatment of minorities under the spotlight, raising questions about the gap between official claims of religious freedom and the experiences documented by rights organisations.
