Islamabad, March 30 (IANS) A leading minority rights group on Monday highlighted that members of the Ahmadi community were once again prevented from offering Eid prayers in several districts of Pakistan’s Punjab province — turning what should have been a “moment of unity” into yet another instance of exclusion.According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), police deployments, administrative barriers, and the looming threat of legal consequences ensured that gatherings were either disrupted…
Latest Minority Rights News & Updates
Islamabad, March 30 (IANS) Human rights activists and civil society organisations have strongly condemned the planned demolition and forced eviction of residents in Allama Iqbal Colony, a 25-year-old predominantly Christian working-class settlement in Islamabad. The community now faces an imminent threat of clearance in the coming days, raising serious concerns over minority rights and displacement.Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), alongside the All Party Alliance for Katchi Abadis, th…
Kolkata/New Delhi, March 21 (IANS) A 40-year-old visitor died in a freak lift accident at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, early on Friday, recalling reports of administrative lapse and criminal activity that allegedly affect services rendered even at West Bengal’s public health centres of repute.Friday’s incident raises fresh questions about public hospital infrastructure, safety, and accountability in West Bengal, reviving memories of the August 2024 rape-and-murder of a …
Islamabad, March 18 (IANS) A leading minority rights organisation flagged a troubling trend of abductions and forced religious conversions of girls from the minority community across Pakistan between 2021 and 2025, during which 515 cases were recorded. Citing data from various reports, the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM) highlighted that while the figures may appear to be mere statistics, each number represents a human tragedy — “a frightened girl, a devastated family, and a community living …
Washington, Feb 10 (IANS) Hindu community members and human rights advocates held a peaceful protest outside the US State Department here, urging the government to take stronger action over what they described as persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh.The demonstrators gathered in the cold weather, holding banners and placards that called for justice and accountability. Several speakers appealed directly to US officials, international bodies, and global human rights organisations to i…
Dhaka, Jan 30 (IANS) The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, a human rights organisation against religious discrimination, claimed that at least 522 communal violence incidents occurred across Bangladesh in 2025, in stark contrast to the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government’s recent figures, which said only 71 incidents involved communal elements, local media reported.Addressing a press conference in Dhaka on Thursday, the minority rights organisation’s Acting General Secreta…
Dhaka, Jan 19 (IANS) Bangladesh’s democratic foundations are being undermined by rising mob violence and growing insecurity, experts warned at a policy dialogue in Dhaka. They emphasised that minority rights in the country cannot be protected without the rule of law, political accountability and meaningful representation ahead of the February 12 national election, local media reported.Dhaka-based think tank Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) hosted the roundtable, titled ‘Democracy for All: Min…
Dhaka, Jan 7 (IANS) As violence against minorities continues to escalate in Bangladesh, another Hindu man died after jumping into a canal in a bid to save his life from a mob that accused him of robbery in Mohadevpur upazila of Naogaon district, local media reported. The victim, identified as 25-year-old Mithun Sarkar, lost his life in the disturbing incident, which unfolded on Tuesday afternoon in the Chakgori area of the upazila.Citing local and police sources, Bangladesh’s Bengali newspaper D…
New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) Are the Left parties in India secular and liberal as they are usually considered? No, claims Bangladesh’s exiled author Taslima Nasreen in a recent Facebook post.She points out the dichotomy among communists being “very active against jihadists in Bangladesh” today having once called her book on radical fundamentalism as lies, finally driving her out of Kolkata.“Some blind (for their organisation) communist factions in West Bengal are spitting venom against me. Th…
Ottawa, Dec 22 (IANS) Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, currently serving as the Chief Advisor of the Bangladesh interim government, remains silent instead of standing for justice while the South Asian nation continues to grapple with violence and human rights abuses, several human rights bodies said in a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.In the letter, issued by the human rights representatives, which was shared by Canada-based think tank organisation ‘Global Centre for Democratic Governance…