New Delhi [India], March 29 (ANI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has voiced his support for External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar's remarks on the treatment of minorities in Pakistan, emphasising that the situation there is 'extremely disturbing.'

Speaking to ANI, Tharoor said, 'It is a clear signal that we are concerned about the well-being of minorities in Pakistan. Another difficulty is that there is no real dialogue going on between India and Pakistan. Otherwise, we could have conveyed our concerns directly and sought redressal. The Minister's statement was completely factual, and we should take note that there's an extremely disturbing situation in our neighbouring country.'

On Friday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India follows and tracks 'very closely' the treatment of minorities in Pakistan and takes it up on an international level also.

During Question Hour in Lok Sabha, responding to a question on 'Crime and atrocities against minorities in Pakistan' on Friday, Jaishankar said that 10 cases of atrocities were committed in Pakistan in February, which includes seven related to abduction and forcible conversion, two of them related to abduction and one related to police action against students who were celebrating Holi.

'We follow very closely, we track very closely the treatment of minorities in Pakistan. And as an example, I would like to apprise the House that just in the month of February, there were 10 cases of atrocities against the Hindu community, seven of them related to abduction and forcible conversion, two related to abduction, one related to police action against students who were celebrating Holi,' Jaishankar said.

He said that there were three incidents related to the Sikh community in Pakistan and two cases about the Ahmadiyya community. He stated that a Christian person, who was reportedly mentally unstable, was charged with blasphemy in Pakistan.

'There were three incidents relating to the Sikh community in Pakistan. In one case, a Sikh family was attacked. In another case, a Sikh family was threatened because of the reopening of an old gurdwara. There was also an abduction and conversion issue with one girl from that community. There were two cases pertaining to the Ahmadiyya community. In one case, a mosque was sealed and in another case, 40 graves were desegregated and there was one case pertaining to the Christian community, where a Christian person who reportedly was mentally unstable was charged with blasphemy,' Jaishankar said.

He said that India takes up the issues at the international level and cited the remarks of India's representative at the UN Human Rights Council and India's Ambassador in the UN General Assembly.

'So the answer to the Honorable Member, Sir is, yes, we track it very, very closely. We take it up, and we take it up at the international level also. Again, to give two recent examples, Sir, in the month of February, our representative at the UN Human Rights Council pointed out that Pakistan is a country where I quote him, where human rights, abuses, persecution of minorities and systematic erosion of democratic values are state policies, they constitute state policies which brazenly harbors UN sanctioned terrorists and Pakistan is in no position to lecture anyone.

Instead, Pakistan should focus on providing actual governance and justice to its own people. Our ambassador in the UN General Assembly also just two weeks ago underlined the fanatical mindset of Pakistan, which he said was very well known, and its record of bigotry. So, we are taking it up at the international level,' Jaishankar said.

On March 26, Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) released a report on the first quarter of 2025, spotlighting a sharp rise in victimisation rates and challenges faced by religious minorities in Pakistan.

The organisation condemned the escalating abuses, noting that relief and justice remain elusive due to resource constraints and the emboldened mindset of perpetrators, often backed by influential religious and political figures.

HRFP President Naveed Walter, addressing the findings, stated, 'Religious minorities in Pakistan are easier targets for attacks, murders, blasphemy charges, abductions, forced conversions, and forced marriages. The lack of attention to their suffering and neglect is even more painful.'

He pointed to a surge in incidents since January 2025, citing cases like Wasif Masih, a Christian youth from Chak Jhumra, Faisalabad, who was falsely accused of theft, assaulted, and publicly humiliated with black paint on his face. (ANI)