"Even Indira Gandhi Couldn't...": S Jaishankar On Pak's "Fanatical Mindset"

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today appraised Parliament about the rising incidents of attacks on minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh. The minister cited ten major incidents involving brutal attacks on Hindus in Pakistan in the month of February alone, while updating MPs about the atrocities.

"New Delhi tracks the treatment of minorities in Pakistan very closely," Mr Jaishankar said, adding that India has made its position regarding action on Pakistan "well known". During his address to parliamentarians, Mr Jaishankar highlighted Pakistan's "fanatical and bigoted mindset" towards minorities.

Among the ten gruesome incidents he mentioned, seven of them were related to abductions, disappearances, and forced conversions to Islam, two others were about kidnappings, and one even involved police brutality on students for merely celebrating Holi.

Not just Hindus, but Sikhs were targeted to, the minister said. He narrated three incidents related to atrocities against members of the Sikh community. In one instance, a family of Sikhs were attacked and brutalised allegedly for resisting forced conversion. In the second case, another family of Sikhs faced death threats for reopening an old Gurdwara and practicing their faith. The third incident was about a Sikh girl being abducted and kept in captivity. She was allegedly tortured till she agreed to convert to Islam.

Even Muslims from the Ahmediya community, who are not considered Muslims be extremists in Pakistan, were targeted, as was a Christian person of unsound mind, who was charged by the state for "blasphemy". These are just a few examples of attacks on minorities only in the month of February, said the minister.

On Bangladesh, Mr Jaishankar said, "Like in Pakistan, we track the welfare and well-being of minorities in Bangladesh as well. In 2024, we had 2,400 incidents relating to attacks on minorities and in 2025, 72 incidents. I have taken it up with my counterpart there. The foreign secretary also took it up when he visited Bangladesh. This continues to be a matter of concern for our government."

Besides these, there are reports of thousands of cases of atrocities, abductions, forced disappearances, torture, and killings in Balochistan - a region where Pakistan is infamous for its gross human rights violations.

When asked if India plans any "tough action" against Pakistan - on the lines of what former prime minister Indira Gandhi had done, Mr Jaishankar said, "New Delhi's position is well known". He however said that despite the steps India takes, "we as a government and a country cannot change the fanatical and bigoted mindset of our neighbour." He added that "Even Indira Gandhi could not do it," implying that despite losing East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1971, Pakistan's mindset has not changed.

Concluding his remarks, Mr Jaishankar informed Parliament that India takes up these issues at the international level and cited the remarks of India's representative at the UN Human Rights Council and India's Ambassador in the UN General Assembly.