Taken steps for protection of Hindus, claims Pakistan

The Pakistan government on Wednesday said it has taken important steps towards ensuring protection and promotion of the cultural heritage of all communities in Pakistan, including Hindus there.

"Rejecting assertions regarding the plight of Hindus, the Pakistan High Commission reiterates the full commitment of the government of Pakistan to ensuring the welfare and well-being of the Hindu community in Pakistan," a HC statement said.

It also said, "As equal citizens, the Hindus in Pakistan enjoy all the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan, including the right to freely practice their religion."

The government has taken important steps towards promoting interfaith harmony as well as for ensuring protection and promotion of the cultural heritage of all communities in Pakistan, it added.

The statement comes just two days ahead of the proposed visit of Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik.

In the past few months, hundreds of Pakistani Hindus have arrived in India bearing tales of kidnapping, looting and forced religious conversions in that country.

Malik had earlier said that visas being issued to 250 Hindu families by the Indian High Commission in Pakistan was a "conspiracy".