In Pakistan’s Sindh, a Hindu minister faced an assault from protesters who were against the government’s irrigation canal initiatives in the southern region of the country. The convoy of the state minister for religious affairs, Kheal Das Kohistani, was moving through the province when demonstrators hurled potatoes and tomatoes at it.
Kohistani, a member of the federal government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, remained unharmed during the attack in Thatta district in Sindh, a province known for its significant minority population, especially Hindus.
Shehbaz Sharif condemns the attack
Sharif denounced the assault on Kohistani and promised him a comprehensive investigation into the incident. “The assault on public officials is intolerable. The individuals related to the incident would receive a notable punishment,” he stated.
The assault on Kohistani occurs at a moment when Pakistan, which attempts to advise other nations on minorities, has a terrible history of safeguarding its own minority population. Repeatedly, individuals from minority groups, such as Hindus and Christians, have faced systematic persecution and been coerced into conversion.
Protestors claimed irrigation canal would reduce downward flow of rivers
Kohistani was assaulted when a crowd was demonstrating against the federal government’s irrigation canal initiatives, claiming that it would diminish the downstream flow of rivers crucial for irrigation in Sindh.
Kohistani, affiliated with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), encountered chanting from demonstrators opposing his party’s federal administration.
The federal government has revealed a plan to build six canals in Punjab province to irrigate areas in the Cholistan region as part of the Green Pakistan Initiative, a project backed by the influential army, the federal government, and the Punjab provincial administration.
Nonetheless, numerous political factions and nationalist organizations in Sindh have been demonstrating against the initiative, arguing that the canals would diminish the downstream water flow and negatively impact irrigation in that area.
Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar requested information about the Kohistani attack from Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon and asked for a report from the federal interior secretary.
