Today, 96% of Pakistan’s population follows Islam, with most of that percentage adhering to the Sunni tradition. According to Pakistan’s constitution, the right to free speech can be restricted to ensure “the glory of Islam.”
However, Pakistan was once majority-Hindu. It was part of the Indian civilization with significant religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity.
This is no longer the case. Native Hindu and other non-Muslim cultures were systematically and largely erased by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Moreover, attempts at reviving the Hindu and other pre-Islamic names of geographical locations are met with backlash from Muslims in the country.
India Today reported on May 27 that the provincial government of Pakistan’s Punjab has deferred its decision to restore several pre-Partition Hindu and British-era names of roads and localities in its capital of Lahore.
The Punjab government is led by Maryam Nawaz, who in March proposed restoring several Lahore landmarks to their older (Hindu, Sikh-origin or British) names. This effort was cleared by the Nawaz-led Punjab Cabinet in May.
However, retired Lahore Deputy Commissioner Captain Muhammad Ali Ijaz replied to the queries of the Pakistani daily, Dawn, by saying that “no such decision has been taken as yet.”
According to reports, authorities in Lahore have made a U-turn: they are experiencing opposition from “extremists” and social media vloggers.
“Even after partition, many colonial [British] and Hindu-era names continue to survive in public memory despite official changes of names by various governments in Pakistan,” India Today reported.
Despite the denial of many in the region, present-day Pakistan was once predominantly Hindu.
The Indian subcontinent was home to one of the oldest and most influential civilizations known as the Indus Valley civilization or Harappan civilization. This Bronze Age urban culture reached its peak around 2500 BC. The culture itself might have been older, as religious practices and farming settlements in the fertile region by the Indus River can be dated back thousands of years.
Before the arrival of Islam in the 8th century, the region that is now called Pakistan and the broader Indian subcontinent was exceedingly diverse. Throughout millennia, the region’s religious diversity included a rich mix of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, other local/folk beliefs, and later, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity.
Throughout the last 14 centuries, the Islamization of the Indian subcontinent has been shaped by massacres, pogroms, persecutions, and forced conversions. This spans the initial Arab expansions, the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughal Empire, and the partition of India, up to the present.
The organization “Log Sabha” prepared a comprehensive report entitled “Hindu for Justice: A Historical Account of Genocides and Massacres Against Hindus.” It describes the long history of Hindu persecution in and outside of the Indian subcontinent at the hands of Islam. The report notes:
Throughout various historical periods, forced conversions and the destruction of Hindu temples were recurring themes. In many cases, the violence was not only aimed at suppressing Hindu religious practices but also at erasing Hindu cultural heritage. This systematic approach to cultural destruction had long-lasting effects on Hindu communities.
The Indian subcontinent has been significantly impacted by the Islamic campaigns committed by various armies and empires. These invasions altered the political and demographic landscape of the region. They also brought widespread destruction to Hindu and other non-Muslim cultures, religious practices, and communities.
The landscape began to shift in the early 8th century when the Umayyad Caliphate’s general Muhammad bin Qasim invaded the Sindh region. The local population’s conversion to Islam was a gradual process lasting several centuries.
His campaign was characterized by both military conquests and acts of violence against Hindu populations. The invasion led to the establishment of a Muslim administration and initiated a series of forced conversions, persecution, and the destruction of Hindu temples.
One of the most brutal invaders was Mahmud of Ghazni, who raided the Indian subcontinent between 1000 and 1027 AD. His campaigns were characterized by the large-scale destruction of Hindu temples and cities, driven by both religious zeal and the lure of wealth. The city of Mathura, a sacred site for Hindus, faced massive devastation during one raid. Temples were razed to the ground, and countless Hindus were either massacred or enslaved. His most infamous attack occurred at Somnath, one of the most revered temples in Hinduism: tens of thousands of Hindus were slaughtered and the temple’s treasures looted.
The subsequent centuries saw more invasions by Islamic rulers, such as Muhammad Ghori and the Delhi Sultanate. They followed similar patterns of violence. Kannauj, another major Hindu city, was plundered multiple times, its temples desecrated, and its people massacred. According to Log Sabha:
These invasions were not just military conquests but religious campaigns aimed at spreading Islam through force, leading to the mass persecution of Hindus. Forced conversions and mass executions were routine during these invasions, leaving lasting scars on the region.
The most well-known period in the subcontinent’s history was the Mughal Empire, which lasted from the 16th to the mid-19th century. A Muslim empire of Turkic-Mongol origin, the Mughal Empire rose to prominence in the early 16th century. It brought a new wave of persecution against Hindus. Although some Mughal emperors, such as Akbar, adopted a policy of relative tolerance, others, particularly Aurangzeb, were notorious for their harsh treatment of Hindus.
Aurangzeb’s reign (1658-1707) was marked by an aggressive campaign to convert Hindus to Islam through methods involving force and coercion. He imposed the jizya tax on non-Muslims, a discriminatory tax that Hindus paid simply for practicing their faith. Aurangzeb’s policies were deeply antagonistic toward Hinduism, leading to the destruction of thousands of temples across the subcontinent. Notably, the grand Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi and the Kesava Deo Temple in Mathura were razed under his orders; mosques were built in their place.
The Mughal emperor also ordered the mass execution of Hindus who resisted conversion. One of the most significant events was the beheading of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, who was murdered in 1675 for defending the religious freedom of Hindus against Aurangzeb’s policies. Many followers of Guru Tegh Bahadur were also Hindus. They faced similar fates, either being forced to convert or executed for their refusal. According to Log Sabha:
These early periods of Hindu genocide under Islamic invasions and Mughal rule left a profound impact on Hindu society. Temples, symbols of their faith, were destroyed, cultural practices were suppressed, and millions of Hindus were either killed or forcibly converted. The scars of these historical genocides continue to resonate in the collective memory of Hindus, shaping their struggle for justice and recognition even today.
Then came Britain’s takeover of India, which occurred in two main phases. The British East India Company began its territorial conquest in 1757. The British government then took direct control in 1858, which lasted until India’s independence in 1947.
The 1947 partition era saw the division of British India into two separate states: India and Pakistan. The partition led to one of the largest mass migrations in human history and was accompanied by widespread communal violence, particularly between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. The resulting chaos led to the massacre and displacement of millions, with Hindus being among the primary victims of the partition-era violence.
On August 15, 1947, British India was officially divided into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. The Log Sabha notes:
The Partition left a deep scar on Hindu society, not only in terms of the immediate loss of life and property but also the psychological trauma of displacement. Hindu communities that had once thrived in regions like Pakistan and Bangladesh were decimated…
In the years following India’s independence in 1947, Hindus have continued to face episodes of violence, persecution, and genocide, both within India and in neighboring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. These events underscore the deep-rooted religious and political tensions that persist in the region, often resulting in the systematic targeting of Hindus. From communal riots to state-sponsored violence, Hindus have suffered significant loss of life, property, and cultural heritage in the post-independence era.
After the Partition, the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim-majority state led to ongoing violence against the Hindu minority, especially in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (now Pakistan). Hindus, who were already a marginalized community, faced continuous persecution in the form of religious intolerance, forced conversions, and violent pogroms.
One of the largest genocides of Hindus in the post-independence period occurred during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. As East Pakistan sought independence from West Pakistan to form the new nation of Bangladesh, the Pakistani military launched a brutal crackdown on Bengali civilians. Hindus, seen as supporters of the Bengali independence movement, were particularly targeted. Many historians have called this an act of genocide.
During the nine-month conflict, Pakistani soldiers and their local collaborators systematically targeted Hindus. They engaged in mass killings, rapes, and the destruction of property. It is estimated that 300,000 to 3 million people were killed.
Hindus bore the brunt of the violence. They were often identified by their distinctive religious markings or surnames. Hindu women were especially vulnerable. Reports indicate that at least 200,000 women were raped by Pakistani soldiers and militia members.
Temples were destroyed, and entire Hindu villages were razed to the ground. Hindus were forced to flee to India; millions sought refuge in neighboring West Bengal.
West Pakistan became known only as Pakistan after the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Hindus were again targeted and faced widespread discrimination in Pakistan. Hindu temples were destroyed, religious festivals were banned or restricted, and the community was often subject to harassment by both state authorities and Islamic groups. Forced conversions, especially of Hindu women, became a common occurrence, with young girls abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to Muslim men.
This systematic persecution led to a drastic decline in the Hindu population in Pakistan, from nearly 15% at the time of Partition to less than 2% today.
Pakistan’s current population is approximately 259 million, whereas the Christian population is around 4,785,000. There are approximately 3,479,000 Hindus and 3,522,000 members of other religious minorities in the country. The Islamization of Pakistan has led to extreme and ongoing persecution of these religious minorities.
Hindus and other non-Muslims in Pakistan continue to face religious discrimination, violence, and forced conversions. In recent years, there has been an alarming increase in the abduction and forced conversion of Hindu and Christian girls, often underage, who are forcibly married to Muslim men. Local authorities and religious leaders often turn a blind eye, with judicial systems offering little to no protection to these vulnerable communities.
The desecration of temples remains a major issue in Pakistan. In 2019, a Muslim mob vandalized the Hindu community’s temples, schools, and shops in Ghotki city in Sindh province of Pakistan. The incident occurred after a minor student accused his Hindu teacher of blasphemy.
Currently, Pakistan is home to many radical Islamic terrorist groups with close ties to government bodies. These terror groups bring death and destruction to the wider region. The country adopted an Islamic Constitution in 1973 and integrated Sharia law in its civil code. The new school curriculum further Islamizes education and indoctrinates children into believing that adherents of other religions are of an inferior class. Organized crime is a major problem in urban and tribal areas; it is frequently connected to violent Islamic militancy.
Today, Hindus, Christians, and other non-Muslims are still subjected to systematic discrimination by the Pakistani government, a radicalized society, and Islamic terror groups who threaten the very existence of religious minorities. The pressure and violence remain pervasive with Hindus, Christians, and other minorities across the country vulnerable.
Meanwhile, India is home to the third-largest Muslim population in the world and the largest global Muslim-minority population. India’s Muslim population is estimated to be approximately 200 to 213 million people, accounting for roughly 14.2% to 15% of the country’s total population. While Pakistan has persecuted and largely exterminated its Hindu communities, Muslims have thrived in India as equal citizens of the country.
This demonstrates the difference between the Hindu culture and the Islamic ideology.
Hindu philosophy and culture inherently promote pluralism, coexistence, and the principle of “live and let live.” This philosophical framework emphasizes equal respect for all religions, fostering a culture where different faiths and traditions are allowed to flourish side-by-side.
On the contrary, Islam is a totalitarian political ideology focused on world domination rather than a traditional religion. It is mostly a political system that is built upon Sharia law, geo-political goals, and governance. Islamic texts (the Quran, Hadith, and Sira) strictly divide humanity into two factions: Muslims and kafirs (non-believers). Islamic doctrine mandates the expansion of its system worldwide and seeks the elimination or subjugation of kafirs until the entire world lives under Islamic law.
The ultimate outcome of Islam’s desire to dominate the world is the creation of nations such as Pakistan, where indigenous non-Muslim cultures and peoples are eliminated, and the surviving, tiny non-Muslim communities perpetually live under tyranny. Non-Muslim countries of the world must immediately start learning lessons from Pakistan’s history of Islamization and take precautions so they will not experience a similar fate.
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