External Affairs Minister K Jaishankar today assessed Parliament about the increasing incidents of attacks on minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In the month of February alone, the minister cited ten major events related to the brutal attacks on Hindus in Pakistan, while updating MPs about atrocities.
“New Delhi tracks the treatment of minorities in Pakistan very closely,” Mr. Jaishankar said, India has made its place about action on Pakistan “well known”. During his address to MPs, Mr. Jaishankar highlighted the “radical and big mentality” of Pakistan to minorities.
Seven of the ten fierce incidents he mentioned, seven were related to abduction, disappearance, and forcibly related to Islam, two others were about kidnapping, and the brutality of police on students to celebrate a single Holi.
Not only Hindus, but Sikhs were targeted, the minister said. He narrated three incidents related to atrocities against members of the Sikh community. In one example, a family of Sikhs was attacked and cruelty to allegedly protest for forced conversion. In the second case, another family of Sikhs faced death threats to reopen an old gurdwara and practice their trust. The third incident was about the abduction of a Sikh girl and was kept in captivity. He was allegedly tortured until he agreed to convert to Islam.
Even the Muslims of the Ahmadiyya community, who are not considered Muslims, were not extremists in Pakistan, were targeted, as a Christian person of unhealthy mind, who was accused of “blasphemy” by the state. The minister said that these are some examples of attacks on minorities only in the month of February.
In Bangladesh, Mr. Jaishankar said, “Like Pakistan, we also track the welfare and welfare of minorities in Bangladesh. In 2024, we had 2,400 incidents related to attacks on minorities and in 2025, for 72 incidents.
Apart from these, there are reports of thousands of cases of atrocities, kidnapping, forcibly disappearance, torture and murders in Balochistan – an area where Pakistan is notorious for violating its gross human rights.
Asked if India is planning a “difficult action” against Pakistan – on the lines of what former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did, Mr. Jaishankar said, “The situation in New Delhi is well known”. However, he said that despite India’s steps, “We cannot change the staunch and big mindset of our neighbor as a government and as a country.” He said that “even Indira Gandhi could not do so,” Pakistan’s mindset has not changed, despite losing East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1971.
Ending his comment, Shri Jaishankar informed Parliament that India took these issues internationally and cited the comment of India’s representative in the United Nations Human Rights Council and India’s Ambassador to the United Nations General Assembly.
