Islamabad, Dec 6 (NationPress) A prominent minority rights organization has accused Pakistan of systematic neglect, institutional indifference, and a prolonged refusal to safeguard the religious heritage of the Hindu and Sikh communities that the Pakistani government professes to protect.

The Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM) reports that an alarming 98 percent of Hindu and Sikh worship sites in Pakistan are either abandoned, locked, illegally occupied, or in a state of disrepair. This scenario, the rights organization claims, is not merely an administrative failure but a reflection of the inherent issues within Pakistan's power dynamics.

Presenting recent findings to Pakistan’s Parliamentary Committee on Minority Caucus, the rights body revealed that out of 1,285 Hindu worship sites and 532 gurdwaras documented, only 37 remain operational.

“The pain of this neglect is compounded by a consistent pattern of systemic discrimination. While temples deteriorate, educational curricula still propagate hateful or biased content. Minority students are offered fewer opportunities, lacking equivalent scholarships or quotas available to Muslim students. The representation of minorities in government jobs is woefully inadequate, and even senior officials often bypass caucus meetings intended to address minority issues. The underlying message is clear: minorities are treated as an afterthought, and their concerns are deemed optional,” stated the VOPM.

The rights organization highlighted the tragic irony of Pakistan showcasing sites like Kartarpur to the world while numerous temples and gurdwaras nationwide languish in neglect.

“One well-maintained shrine cannot erase the silence of the hundreds that have fallen into disrepair. Sacred spaces where generations once prayed now lie in ruins, overtaken by weeds or illegally occupied by private interests. This loss is not merely detrimental to minorities; it threatens Pakistan’s identity, cultural continuity, and moral standing,” emphasized the VOPM.

Stating that a nation is ultimately evaluated by how it treats its smallest and most vulnerable communities, the rights body pointed out a stark statistic: only 37 out of 1,817 Hindu and Sikh worship sites are still functional, with the remainder now serving as monuments to neglect.

“These structures are more than just buildings — they are the last echoes of a pluralistic past that Pakistan once vowed to uphold. Each abandoned temple and each crumbling gurdwara is a testament to the state's failure to fulfill its own constitutional commitments to equality, justice, and religious freedom,”