As Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday became the first Pakistani Foreign Minister to visit India in almost 12 years when he arrived in Goa to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), there are concerns over the situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the state of minorities in the neighbouring country.
A look at four such incidents in the recent past:
- The first is the demolition of an Ahmaddiya community mosque in Mirpur Khas, Sindh in the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) supporters, according to reports.
- Another is the protest in Astore district in Gilgit-Baltistan. The locals staged protests in Astore and Gilgit against the killing of a young man in suspicious circumstances. As per reports, two young men from Doyian village had gone mysteriously missing for the last few days. The body of one of them was found in Jotial May 2, while the other one is still missing. The protesters blocked the Astore valley road and demanded immediate investigation from the authorities.
- Meanwhile, on April 26, a large number of people belonging to the minority communities in Pakistan gathered outside the Lahore Press Club to protest against the increasing misuse of blasphemy law to file false cases and forced conversion of minor girls. Minority leaders addressed the gathering and said that temples and churches are being burnt in the country and people were killed on false allegations of blasphemy. They further said that in the recent months, there has been a surge in such cases where three-four members of the minority community have been deliberately killed and Ahmadiyya mosques have been demolished, according to reports.
- In another incident, a person from Muzaffarabad was mercilessly beaten by Pakistani people in Islamabad on April 23 for being disrespectful to “religious personalities". According to reports, Rehman, a native of PoK’s Muzaffarabad city, was brutally beaten by people at a tea shop while discussing Pakistan’s economy over his statement that “no one, including the 11th century religious scholar like Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (Ghous Al Azam or Ghous e Pak) can recover or rescue a sunken ship from sea", said reports. Rehman was rescued from the mob by city police and admitted to civil hospital with a fractured forehand and pelvis. A case was, however, registered against Rehman for hurting religious sentiments of people.
VISIT AMID STRAIN
Bhutto Zardari’s visit to India to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting comes amid continuing strain in ties between the two countries on a host of issues including Islamabad’s use of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
“I am very happy to reach Goa to lead the Pakistani delegation at the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting. I expect the SCO CFM meeting to be successful," Bhutto Zardari told reporters.
Although there was a buzz in the media about Bhutto Zardari’s two-day visit to Goa, both the Indian and the Pakistani side appeared to keep each other at arm’s length.
In a tweet with a caption ‘Salaam, from Goa India’, Bhutto Zardari said: “Assalamualaikum, we have reached Goa for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet".
“I will first hold a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister. Then, will hold a meeting with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister. I will attend the dinner hosted for all the foreign ministers..," he said in a short video.
Before leaving for Goa, the Pakistani foreign minister said, “My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan’s strong commitment to the charter of the SCO. During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries."
The Pakistan foreign minister’s visit to India is the first such trip from Islamabad since 2011.
With PTI Inputs
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