Jaishankar slams Pakistan at UN over minority persecution

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called out Pakistan’s human rights abuses against its minority communities, reaffirming India’s stance at the United Nations.

Addressing the Lok Sabha on March 28, he detailed recent incidents of persecution, emphasizing that India closely tracks and raises these violations on global platforms.

“We follow very closely and track the treatment of minorities in Pakistan,” Jaishankar said, citing multiple cases from February alone. “There were ten incidents of atrocities against the Hindu community — seven related to abduction and forcible conversion, two involving kidnappings, and one where students were targeted by police for celebrating Holi.”

Jaishankar highlighted similar acts of violence against other minority groups. “Three cases involved the Sikh community, including attacks on a Sikh family, threats over the reopening of an old Gurudwara, and the abduction and forced conversion of a Sikh girl,” he said.

The Ahmadiyya community also faced persecution, with authorities sealing a mosque and desecrating 40 graves. The Christian community was not spared either, with a mentally unstable man being charged with blasphemy.

The minister reaffirmed India’s commitment to exposing these abuses on international platforms. “At the UN Human Rights Council, our representative highlighted that Pakistan is a country where human rights violations, persecution of minorities, and the systematic erosion of democratic values are state policies. It continues to harbor UN-sanctioned terrorists,” he told Parliament.

Jaishankar’s remarks come amid growing global scrutiny of Pakistan’s human rights record, as India continues to push for accountability on international stages.