Zardari asks Sindh authorities to allay grievances of Hindus

Islamabad, Aug 10:

President

on Friday took serious note of reports of a "sense of insecurity" among Hindu families in the country's

province and directed authorities to allay the minority community's grievances. The President asked the authorities in Sindh to assess the situation and to submit a report to him, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.

The President also constituted a three-member committee of parliamentarians to visit different parts of Sindh to express solidarity with Hindus on behalf of himself and the government and to reassure them about their security and well-being, Babar said.

The committee comprises Hari Ram, Lal Chand and federal minister Moula Bakhsh Chandio. Zardari acted after media reports said a group of 250 Pakistani Hindus travelling to India for a pilgrimage did not intend to return to the country. Immigration authorities at the Wagah land border detained the Hindus for almost seven hours before allowing them to cross the border.

The kidnapping of a teenage Hindu girl, Manisha Kumari, from Jacobabad city of Sindh on Aug 7 sparked widespread concern in the minority community amidst reports of the exodus of some 100 Hindu families from the region. Reports said some of the families had even sold their properties in Jacobabad before setting off for India.

PTI