Recently, a video became viral on Social Media in Pakistan. One of the clerics on Mandi Channel in Pakistan claimed that his organization is converting the people for food packages during COVID-19 Pandemics.
Pakistani Minorities, who hold 5% of the total population, these communities are the most oppressed and vulnerable. Around 70% of Pakistani people work on daily wages. This Corona virus Pandemic has put them into a difficult situation. Moreover, Government and semi-Government institutions are treating these people as unwanted elements of society and are failed to provide any sort of relief to them.
A couple of weeks ago, we were told by contacted by several people from Karachi, Pakistan that how Saylani Welfare International Trust was denying food aid to minority communities. However, Saylani Welfare claimed that hence the money is the Zakat, alms giving, from Muslims, therefore Religious minorities are not entitled to have it, as per the laws.
Similarly, Our Organization got several cases in the different parts of Pakistan where Christians were not only denied by the Private sector of welfare but also from the Government set institutions to get any relief during this Pandemic.
Shortly after this news, our Organization got information that many of the well-funded foundations by the Pakistani government not only refused religious minorities for food -Aid but also forced them to convert to get aid.
According to the reports gathered by our own Organization, the religious minorities, especially Christians and Hindus are facing extreme discrimination in Pakistan during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
Our team in Karachi, Pakistan was the first to highlight such incidents where Organizations were forcing people to convert to get the Aid during this Pandemics. Later, similar news came from the different parts of Pakistan as well. From last 4 decade religious groups expressing their grave concern regarding their basis human rights .
This is the reality that Minorities communities are a highly marginalized group of people in Pakistan. Almost, 70% of the Christians scrape by on their daily wages. These circumstances have put these religious groups in a dire situation where they cannot even afford to fulfill the basic needs of their families whereas, on the other hand, their religious beliefs are also on the stake that they could be eligible to get the relief through one option only that is to convert.
Our Organization have been approached to help with food packages by hundreds of families (especially the Sindh and Punjab regions). Currently, we are working on supplying these food packages to the Pakistani Religious Minorities.
