An impoverished Hindu farmer and his three sons, aged between four and eight, were a few days ago found hanged inside a mango plantation. The case has highlighted the conditions for religious minorities in Pakistan.

Police say suicide

Due to a slow response from the local Pakistani police, the locals took action and cut down the bodies.

Police have identified the farmer as 32-year-old Chaman Kolhi and ruled it a suicide due to factors such as unemployment, poverty and conflict with his wife. They expect the investigation to uncover the underlying causes of the alleged suicide.

Shocked Hindu community

The tragedy has shocked the Hindu community and, according to the Free Press Journal, social media is questioning the police’s conclusion:

– How has it been possible for the father to hang the three sons without them becoming frightened and resisting; how have numbers two and three been able to accept being hanged after witnessing their brother being hanged?

There are many people in the area and although several suicides have been reported in Umarkot, this case seems unclear. It should be investigated thoroughly.

Systematic discrimination

The suicide rate among Pakistani Hindus is said to be among the highest in the world. Religious minorities are discriminated against in every way, including by the authorities.

Heartbreaking..

Hindu lives have no value in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Chaman Kolhi, a poor Hindu farmer in Sindh, Pakistan, committed suicide along with his three innocent children. Pakistani Hindus have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.

Hindus are… pic.twitter.com/86YnPjIRAq

— Gopal Joshi (@Gopaljoshi1988) October 5, 2024

Areas populated by Hindus have little or no development, there are few employment opportunities, it is claimed that they are even denied government assistance in emergencies.

Threatening livelihoods

The Hindu Post gives its version of reality for the Hindu minority in Pakistan:

– For the Hindu minority, finding stable jobs or enough food to feed the family is a distant reality. Systematic discrimination has left many without hope or the means to survive in a country where they are systematically deprived of their livelihoods. The tragic death of Chaman Kohli and his three children highlights the difficulties faced by the Hindu minority in Pakistan.

This tragic event is a stark reminder of how hostile Pakistan is towards its Hindu minority. The combination of economic hardship and religious discrimination deprives them of human dignity and security. Violence, forced conversion and economic exploitation have created an environment where survival itself becomes a struggle, forcing people to extreme actions.

Pakistan is far from providing a safe or just existence for its Hindu population.