Coronavirus brings double trouble of Pak's beleaguered religious minorities

At a time when the entire world is uniting to fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan is using the opportunity as another way to discriminate against religious minorities living in the country.

The coronavirus, which emerged in China, has brought more fury to Pakistan's minorities. They are not reelig under the wrath of the lethal virus, which has killed over 82000 people globally but have also been facing discrimination at the hands of Pakistani authorities.

The country's Hindus and Christian minorities are not being given food supplies by authorities, saying they are meant for the Muslims. The total number of Christians in Pakistan was estimated at four million in 2020, or 2 percent of the population.

Meanwhile, Hindus in Pakistan form a four percent of the country's population. The communities is subjected to rampant discrimination and are often denied basic human rights.

The government of several provinces issued an order to distribute ration through local NGOs and administration to daily wage workers and laborers amid lockdown imposed the stem the growth of coronavirus.

The distribution of food supplies was organised by local government in collaboration with the district government.

Pakistan authorities have been discriminating and distributing ration selectively, excluding religious minorities residing in the region.

In one such incident, while distributing ration to needy people in Karachi's Korangi area, inhabitant Christians were forced to recite "Kalma Tayyaba" as a pre-condition to get ration from the local administration. Upon refusal, they were denied the required essentials.

"Kalma Tayyaba" is the basic tenet of Islam. Reciting the holy verse is mandatory for Muslims and anyone embracing or converted to Islam, recites Kalma Tayyaba.

"They did not give us ration and said that you will get ration only after you will chant 'La Ilaha Il-Allah Muhammadur Rasul Allah'. We told them that we will not chant. They denied us ration and asked us to leave," said a Christian woman.

Hindus and Christians were told that they were not eligible for having food supplies since it was only meant for Muslims.Hindus in Liyari, Sachal Ghoth and other parts of Karachi as well as all over Sindh are being denied a share in government food and rations if they happen to be Hindus

The total number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan has sharply increased to 4194 while the death toll has reached 60.