In an article for Malala Fund, she opened up about the threats she and her sister faced after their brother’s brutal murder. Storiya iqbal wrote that she and her sister had to quit their education after Mashal Khan’s killing and were confined to their homes amid a hateful campaign against their brother, accusing him of blasphemy.

“Following my brother’s untimely demise, religious circles in Pakistan launched a vehement propaganda campaign against him, accusing him of blasphemy — a charge that holds no merit. As a result, my entire family faced numerous threats. When my father took a stand for justice and pursued legal action, our lives were further endangered. As Mashal Khan’s sister, I was deeply affected by this tragic incident. At the time, I was enrolled in a school, near where my brother was killed.

Due to the intimidation and threats from hardliners and religious groups, both my younger sister, who was in 9th grade at the time, and I were forced to stop our education,” she writes in the article.

She added that this continued for a year and her family was made prisoners at their homes. “I knew the only way to complete my college education was by studying abroad,” she said.

Storiya further wrote that by sharing her story and her determination to continue her education, she received a fully-funded scholarship at the University at Buffalo in New York. “This was a huge support from UB that encouraged me, as a girl, to travel alone, raise my voice, broaden my ideas, and continue my studies.”

Iqbal’s story of resilience in the face of extremism is inspiring, but it is also a reminder that Pakistan continues to fail its young people.

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The video of the incident is making rounds on social media wherein a policeman could be seen slapping the Hindu shopkeeper.

Khanpur Mehar Sindh
Hindu shop owner was humiliated by SHO Muhammad Kabil Bhayo because he opened a shop during the Holy month of Ramzan. The Gita was placed on the head of the shopkeeper and the oath was taken, it is insulte the Hindu religion. pic.twitter.com/tyEq5yYjKw

— Narain Das Bheel (@NarainDasBheel8) March 24, 2023

The policeman also appears to be asking the shopkeeper to swear that he would not run the shop during Ramadan.

After the video began circulating on social media, local government officials took notice of the incident and removed the policeman, who was identified as SHO Khanpur Mahar Ghotki.

Minorities in Pakistan face persecution and marginalisation with the forced conversion of underage Hindu girls to Islam one of the grave human rights violations in Pakistan. Human rights groups have continuously urged the government authorities to introduce laws regarding forced conversations.

Earlier, the United Nations had also urged Pakistan to curtail the practice of forced marriages of young girls from religious minorities to Muslim men. The United Nations had also called on Pakistani authorities to adopt and implement legislation in this regard.

In a statement, the UN had “expressed alarm” that young girls from religious minorities are kidnapped, trafficked, forcibly converted to Islam, and forced to marry men. The statement called on Pakistani authorities to curb this practice and uphold international human rights laws.

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Rajanpur “District Profile” shows sectarian breakdown as such: Sunni (Brelvi) 60%, Sunni (Deobandi) 25%, Ahl-e-Hadith 4.5%, and Ahl-e-Tashie 10%, while according to Lahore “District Profile”, the city’s sectarian breakdown is as such: Ahl-e-Tashi 10%, Ahl-e-Hadith 10%, Deobandi 25% and Brelvi 50%.

The Rajanpur’s population census of 2017 does not have a sectarian breakdown, instead, it has data divided into Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Qadianis/ Ahmadis, Scheduled Caste, and Others, and the same goes for Lahore.

It is pertinent to mention here of all the districts mentioned on the Punjab government’s official website, Rajanpur and Lahore are the only two districts with sectarian breakdown, while Multan’s district profile is missing.

Dissent Today reached out to the Rajanpur Deputy Commissioner’s Office and they expressed surprise that such data was available on the website and denied their involvement in providing the data.

“We don’t think so we have an online presence,” the deputy commissioner’s office said, while expressing surprise.

“Perhaps, it is a fake website,” he said.

“We cannot give out this sort of information as it could lead to sectarianism,” the office told Dissent Today. 

The numbers available under the Lahore District Information section were either not listed or unreachable.

The Punjab Chief Minister’s Office also denied any involvement in providing the data.

“We have a centralised website, but the districts or the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) could have provided such data.”

However, when Dissent Today contacted PITB, they said they only manage the website’s interface with the data that is already provided to them.

Dissent Today also reached out to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics via their helpline and they confirmed that sectarian breakdown is not collected during the population census. They also added that such data is also not available on their website.

According to a recent report by the United States Institute of Peace, Pakistan has witnessed a surge in extremism and intolerance of diversity and dissent as the state-sanctioned laws and conservative narratives facilitate religious extremist elements and support their narrative, leaving little space for religious inclusion.

Rabia Malik

The author is an educationist and journalist. She can be reached at rabia1091@yahoo.com

The post Punjab Govt Website Shows Sectarian Breakdown In Lahore, Rajanpur But Authorities Clueless About Data appeared first on Dissent Today.

Religious affairs minister @MuftishakoorJUI shd be sacked immediately for:
a) attending convention hosted by banned outfit ASWJ.
b) endorsing & praising militant #LeJ founder.
c) raising slogans inciting sectarianism
d) pledging to promote Jhangvi mission, resp for 1000s of lives https://t.co/x8N2Ewz8hO

— Asad Gokal (@asadgokal) February 21, 2023

In his attendance during the conference, SSP leader Moavia Azam Tariq, who is also on the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, was seen inciting violence against ‘blasphemers’.

Moavia Azam Tariq could be seen addressing an ulema convention in a video that he uploaded on his Twitter handle.

He claimed: “1732 FIRs have been registered under blasphemy charges but these ‘blasphemers’ are roaming free in the country due to weak laws”.

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