Hindu community members stage protest in Pakistan over alleged desecration of woman's remains

Karachi: Members of the Hindu community, accompanied by Muslims, staged a protest in Kalat town in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province over the alleged desecration of the remains of a woman from the minority community, a media report said on Monday.

A representative of the Hindu community said that the Hindu woman died recently and her relatives cremated her in the shamshan ghat (cremation ground). Her remains were still in the cremation ground when unidentified persons burnt them last night, the Dawn newspaper reported.

After going to the crematorium, her remains were thrown out and the remains were desecrated, he alleged.

In the past, he said, the gate of the crematorium had been stolen and they had complained to the district administration about it, but the administration did not do anything.

Hundreds of Hindu community members marched on the roads of the town to register their protest on Sunday, the newspaper said.

The traders belonging to the minority community closed their shops and gathered at the Shahi Bazaar area and joined the march.

To show solidarity with the Hindu community, Muslim religious leaders and political parties also joined the protest. The marchers chanted slogans against the local administration, the paper said.

Speaking at the protest rally, the community leaders condemned the incident and demanded that police arrest those involved in this act that had hurt the sentiments of the entire community.

Some Muslim religious leaders also addressed the gathering and supported the demands of the Hindu community.

The protesters called off their sit-in after negotiations with the local administration. They said they would again stage a protest if the culprits were not arrested immediately.

Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.

Pakistan is home to 22,10,566 people from the minority Hindu community, comprising only 1.18 cent of the country's total registered population of 18,68,90,601, according to a report by the Centre for Peace and Justice Pakistan.