Hindus hounded into cattle pen in Karachi

In an incident which showcases the brutal hatred with which Hindus are seen in Pakistan, at least 60 members of the minority community, including women and children, were forced to abandon their house in Karachi's Memon Goth area just because a Hindu boy drank water from a cooler outside a mosque.

Local tribesman, who hold a good clout in the area, thrashed several Hindus forcing them to run away and take shelter in a near by cattle pen, The News reports. "All hell broke loose when my son, Dinesh, who looked after chickens in a farm, drank water from a cooler outside a mosque. Upon seeing him do that, the people of the area started beating him up," said Meerumal, a resident of the area. "Later, around 150 tribesmen attacked us, injuring seven of our people, who were taken to the Jinnah Hospital," he added.

One of the injured, Heera, said that another 400 families of the area were also being threatened to leave their households and settle elsewhere. "Our people are even scared of going out of their houses. We are also putting up with living in the filthy pen because we cannot go home for fear of being killed," Heera said.

Police officials are aware about the incident, but they have failed to take any steps to stop the atrocities being meted out to the minority community."A trivial incident led to riots between the people of the area. Since both the communities happened to be illiterate, the matter just flared up," said Memon Goth Station House Officer.

Meanwhile, Minority Affairs Minister Dr Mohan Lal has assured Hindus of full government protection. "I have directed the DPO and the SHO to ensure that these people go back to their houses safely," Lal said.