171 Pak Hindus seek refugee status

A group of 171 Pakistani Hindus who reached Jodhpur on Sunday are seeking refugee status from the Indian government pleading that they are being subjected to human rights abuses and severe restrictions on their religious freedom.

The families currently are accommodated in a temple campus until proper arrangements are made.

The leader of the group Chetan Ram told reporters that the families left their houses 3 months back to avoid suspicion and now are seeking asylum for the "sake of our self respect, religious freedom and children's future".

"Had anybody knew about the exodus, we would not have been able to leave ever and our lives would have become virtually a hell," Chetan said

Reports said some 848 Hindu migrants have taken refuge in Rajasthan's Jodhpur in the last three months. In 2011, the total number of Pakistanis reaching Jodhpur was 325.

Hindu leaders and human rights activists have claimed that members of the community were fleeing as a result of religious persecution and failure of law and order situation.

The latest batch of Pakistani Hindus was residents of Sanghar and Hyderabad cities of Sindh province.

The Samenath Lok Sangathan, an organisation working for the welfare of Hindus, has appealed to the Indian government to accord refugee status to the group that includes 32 women and children.

"The exodus of Hindus from Pakistan on account of religious, financial and social persecution, is not a new phenomenon but this largest ever migration after the fencing on the Indo-Pak border, is a testimony that the conditions for the Hindu families in Pakistan continue to be intolerable and humiliating," said Sodha, the president of the organisation.

"In the time to come, this number is set to increase further and this is high time that government take some serious stand on the issue to ensure these poor peoples' future here," PTI quoted Sodha saying.