Pakistan: European think tank flags human rights situation in Balochistan in latest report

EPRS, the European Parliament's in-house research department and think tank, underscored the precarious situation of religious and ethnic communities in Pakistan including the Shia Hazara Community, the Zikri Community, as well as the Hindu and Christian Communities, reports ANI.

"The HRCP's team met representatives of the Hindu and Christian communities in Quetta and with representatives of the Hindu community in Gwadar to assess the situation of religious minorities in Balochistan. Although there has been a decrease in the number of attacks against religious minorities in recent years, these communities continue to live with an inherent sense of fear," the report said.

"On April 18 unidentified assailants forced 14 passengers to disembark from a passenger bus on the Makran Coastal Highway [in Balochistan] and then executed them. On May 12 2019, after militants attacked a hotel in Gwadar, Balochistan, killing 5 people, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility," the report mentioned.

The think tank also quoted the 2019 Report on International Religious Freedom, published by the US Department of State, in its section on Pakistan, which said that 'armed sectarian groups connected to organizations banned by the government as extremist, as well as groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United States and other governments, continued to stage attacks targeting Shia Muslims, including the predominantly Shia Hazara community', reports ANI.