ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar launched a dossier highlighting the oppression of religious minorities in India. The dossier, prepared by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, was unveiled at the Margalla Dialogue in Islamabad.
It outlines instances of majoritarian violence against religious minorities in India since 2014, the year when Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power.
The document reports 294 incidents of extremism against minorities in 2021 alone, highlighting the burning of hundreds of churches in the Manipur incident this year. The dossier also notes threats to historical mosques and a media campaign against over 1,600 mosques in India.
Prime Minister Kakar stated that India is promoting instability in the region and emphasized Pakistan’s role as a responsible state committed to world peace. He expressed concern about the rise of Hindutva, highlighting the continuous targeting of minorities by the RSS in India while asserting that minorities enjoy complete protection in Pakistan.
Afghanistan urges Pakistan to release thousands of containers from port
On Tuesday, Afghanistan called on Pakistan to release thousands of containers of imports allegedly stuck at Karachi port since Pakistan tightened regulations on transnational cargo.
Pakistani authorities claim substantial losses in taxes as goods are sent duty-free from its ports to landlocked Afghanistan and then reportedly smuggled back across the border.
Afghan authorities argue that Pakistan has halted over 3,000 Afghanistan-bound containers at Karachi port, demanding additional tax and duty payments, resulting in significant financial losses for traders.
The issue was discussed in a meeting between Nooruddin Azizi, Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, and Jalil Abbas Jilani, the caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy, the meeting addressed “the transit problems and challenges of the two countries.” An official from the Afghan consulate in Peshawar mentioned that hundreds of these containers have been parked for several months, with some held for over a year, leading to spoilage of goods and financial losses for traders.
This trade dispute is one of several contentious issues that have strained relations between Kabul and Islamabad since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
