In a heinous act, the ISIS extremists have inhumanely executed 20 Christians in Nigeria’s Brono state. The terrorist group asserts that this ravage killing was to avenge that killing of their leaders in the Middle East.

In this regard, a graphic video was published by the terrorist outfit. The video shows masked-men wielding knives in their hands. While the victims can be seen kneeling in front as the attackers stand behind each one behind every victim. The video shows one of the executioners talking in Hausa language saying that the killings are consequences of the murder of ISIS deaths in Middle East earlier this year. The captives can be seen wearing civilian clothes. The terrorist outfit has been perpetrating bloodthirsty rampages since years now. Religious minorities in particular the Yazidis and Christians have been their prime target.

This, however, is not the first incident when Christians have been ferociously beheaded by the ISIS militants. In addition to the ISIS, Nigeria’s Christians have been suffering at the hands of other terrorist outfits that go by the name of Boko Haram, Fulani Herdsmen, Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) and several others involved in sporadic incidents of assaults, abductions, killings, looting etc. Christians have been their target for the large part.

Pakistani Christian families protest against illegal land grabbing at the hands of extremists. The incident is reported from Mohan Wali a village in District Narowal in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Mohan Wali is home to a considerable number of Christian families. Most of them are living below the line are peasants by profession.

In a video that circulated on social media showed a group of people holding a banner that read that they demanded justice for Christian families of Mohan Wali village. These families said that Muhammad Rafique Siyaan had purportedly conspired against them and is trying of grab their agricultural land underhandedly.

In this regard, Masiha Milat Party (MMP) arranged this gathering on Friday, May 6, while Chaudhary William Masih led the protest. Christian women complained that the alleged mafia had been raiding their barn and stole their grain last year. On this occasion many women can be seen standing and protesting against this mafia.

The protestors demanded that the main culprits Muhammad Shafique and Muhammad Jameel should be arrested immediately. They claim that the alleged perpetrators had been harassing them to the extent that they even resorted to firing and were trying to kill them in the presence of the police. Christian families of Mohan Vali village demanded that immediate legal action should be taken against this mafia and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The land in contention has been in possession of these Christian families since generations past. One of the protestor detailed that they had the legal documents of the ownership. “The land grabbing mafia should be asked to stop their heinous acts,” they appealed. We have no other means to make both ends meet. They must be stopped from harassing us on daily basis. They alleged that the nominated people had even imprisoned some of these Christians by force.

“Mohan Vali is our village, we the Christian families live here in perfect harmony, and we make a living by agriculture. We are owners of this land since 1947. We call upon the Prime Minister and the President. We urge the locals of this area to help us. Our ancestors had been peasants and farming this land,” one of the local Christian peasant said.

Christians from across the country have raised a cry against the injustice. They are urging the concerned authorities to take action against the perpetrators and safeguard the local Christians from victimization.

Pakistani rights advocacy group has urged the Prime Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to annul the Single National Curriculum (SNC). Single National Curriculum was initiated by former government with a pretext that it will help in bridging the divisions in educational systems in the country.

However, some sects of the society had raised their brows over this initiative maintaining that this would breed religious extremism in the society. In this regard, Minorities Alliance Pakistan (MAP) organized a press conference at National Press Club, Islamabad on April 22, 2022. MAP demanded a ban on the Single National Curriculum (SNC). While addressing the gathering Advocate Akmal Bhatti said that Single National Curriculum is not only breeding religion based extremism but also damaging religious harmony in the country.

He maintained that Pakistan Tahreek Insaf’s government had in fact promoted religious extremism in the country by initiating SNC. While expressing his contentment with the new government and hoped that the Single National Curriculum will be rolled back soon. One of the salient feature, of the Single National Curriculum (SNC) was mandating Islamiyat as a compulsory subject and the inclusion of increased Islamic content in the syllabus and books is a matter of concern for people.

He urged the Premier to take necessary steps to ensure protection of the religious minorities in the country. He raised concerns over the selection system that is currently in effect according to which representatives of the minorities are selected by their respected parties while the minorities are deprived of electing their representatives in provincial and national assemblies. He highlighted the fact that after the census conducted in 2017, misleading statistics were publicized about the exact population of minorities in the country.

At the same time, he pointed towards the rising incidents of abduction, forced marriages and forced conversions of girls hailing from minorities. He called upon the Premier Shahbaz Sharif to address the issue of forced conversions.

In the wake of steadily growing religion based intolerance, discrimination and persecution approximately 800 Pakistani Hindus have left Pakistan seeking safe haven in India. An advocacy group Seemant Lok Sangathan (SLS), that advocates for the rights of Pakistani religious minorities has claimed that last year the said number of Hindus migrated from Pakistan to India.

However, these migrants have not been met with great success in acquiring Indian citizenship as many of them went home after finding no progress in their citizenship application. Their return is deemed as an embarrassment to India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Back in 2018, an online citizenship application process was initiated and in this regard, 16 collectors in seven states were made available to collect online applications from Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jain and Buddhists from three countries Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

At least there are still 25,000 Pakistani Hindus in India’s Rajhastan state alone who are awaiting citizenship. Some of these applicants have waited more than two decades now. In 2015, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs made amendment to the citizenship rules therefore legalizing the stay of foreign migrants from six communities. The condition being if they had entered India due to religion based persecution and on or before December 2014. Such cases were exempted from provisions of the Passport Act and the Foreigners Act as their passports had expired.

According to official reports, Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. In this regard, to official estimates, portray a sum of 7.5 Million Hindus as living in Pakistan. Majority of Hindus are nestled in Pakistan’s Sindh province. However, the Hindu community has been periodically  targeted and sporadic cases of abduction of Hindu girls, forced into marriages with Muslims, forced conversions,  rape of girls and even murder have been reported. These factors compel them to migrate to India.

In the wake of steadily growing religion based intolerance, discrimination and persecution approximately 800 Pakistani Hindus have left Pakistan seeking safe haven in India. An advocacy group Seemant Lok Sangathan (SLS), that advocates for the rights of Pakistani religious minorities has claimed that last year the said number of Hindus migrated from Pakistan to India.

However, these migrants have not been met with great success in acquiring Indian citizenship as many of them went home after finding no progress in their citizenship application. Their return is deemed as an embarrassment to India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Back in 2018, an online citizenship application process was initiated and in this regard, 16 collectors in seven states were made available to collect online applications from Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jain and Buddhists from three countries Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

At least there are still 25,000 Pakistani Hindus in India’s Rajhastan state alone who are awaiting citizenship. Some of these applicants have waited more than two decades now. In 2015, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs made amendment to the citizenship rules therefore legalizing the stay of foreign migrants from six communities. The condition being if they had entered India due to religion based persecution and on or before December 2014. Such cases were exempted from provisions of the Passport Act and the Foreigners Act as their passports had expired.

According to official reports, Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. In this regard, to official estimates, portray a sum of 7.5 Million Hindus as living in Pakistan. Majority of Hindus are nestled in Pakistan’s Sindh province. However, the Hindu community has been periodically  targeted and sporadic cases of abduction of Hindu girls, forced into marriages with Muslims, forced conversions,  rape of girls and even murder have been reported. These factors compel them to migrate to India.