30 Hindus in Pakistan held hostage by armed gangs as Seema Haider settles in India

Hindus in Pakistan are being held hostage as a fallout of a Pakistani woman illegally entering India for her lover she met via an online game. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, around 30 members of the Hindu community including women and children have been taken hostage by armed gangs in the Kashmore and Ghotki districts in Sindh province. 

"We have received disturbing reports that these gangs have threatened to attack the community's sites of worship, using high-grade weapons. The Sindh Home Department must investigate this matter immediately and take steps to protect all vulnerable citizens in these areas," the Commission tweeted calling on the government to take action. 

According to a report by Pakistan's Dawn, a temple was attacked in Kashmore with rocket launchers in the early hours of Sunday. This reportedly was the second incident as the first was reported in Karachi where the 150-year-old Mari Mata Temple was razed.

This comes after Seema Haider from Pakistan ditched her husband and fled with her four kids to stay with her lover Sachin Meena. A resident of Greater Noida, Meena told Republic TV that he and Haider decided to meet each other in Nepal in March and got secretly married before she illegally entered India in May. After fully accepting her husband's culture, she has also changed her religion, the aftermath of which is being faced by Hindus in Pakistan. 

Cross-border love story makes situation worse for minority Hindus in Pak

Although Seema Haider has rejected the accusations of entering India for espionage, she is on the radar of Indians including former Army officials. Speaking to Republic TV, Major General SP Sinha vehemently claimed that she as well as her husband, Ghulam Haider who she left, are ISI agents. Questioning why she did not opt for a legal entry, Sinha said that the hostage situation "is a counter-attack against Hindus who have done no crime. This is a pressure tactic on behalf of Pakistan's ISI. They want to divert the attention from Seema Haider to Hindus in Pakistan."

Besides, fanatics in Pakistan have also issued threats to her. Reports also say that she has been boycotted by her community including her parents for "insulting Islam." Maybe unintentionally, but Haider's actions have also put Hindus in Pakistan in grave danger as the minorities are now being abducted and temples are being vandalised in the country.