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Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari invoked Akhand Bharat and claimed Hindus in Pakistan are free and would relatively be with Pakistan than India.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari mentioned Pakistan has a “mindset that we tolerate” Hindus and claimed they’d relatively be in Pakistan than India. (Photograph: AP)
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, whereas talking in regards to the nation’s Hindu minority, mentioned Pakistan has “Muslims of the mindset that we tolerate” and claimed that Hindus dwelling within the nation are “as free” as anyplace else. He additionally claimed that they’d relatively stay in Pakistan than be in India.
Zardari made the remarks whereas addressing a gathering on the Yadgar-e-Fatah Victory Monument ceremony in Islamabad on August 14, in response to some media stories.
The ceremony was held on Pakistan’s Independence Day.
The monument was constructed by Pakistan to mark what it describes because the “outstanding triumph in Marka-e-Haq”, its identify for the 2025 navy battle with India.
The Pakistan President’s feedback got here whereas he was contrasting what he described because the outlook of India and Pakistan.
Referring to India’s perception in ‘Akhand Bharat’, Zardari mentioned there was a “lot in between” that Indians had forgotten earlier than turning to Pakistan’s identification as a Muslim nation.
‘We Are Muslims Of The Mindset That We Tolerate’
Talking about Pakistan’s strategy in the direction of its Hindu inhabitants, Zardari mentioned, “We’re Muslims of the mindset that we tolerate.”
He added, “We now have three to 4 per cent Hindu inhabitants in Pakistan. And they’re as free, pretty much as good as anyplace else they have been.”
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Zardari then made an additional declare in regards to the choice of Pakistan’s Hindu inhabitants, saying, “They might relatively be with us than be with them.”
“The Indians have a special standpoint. They’ve their very own agenda in thoughts. They imagine in Akhand Bharat. However there’s a lot in between which they’ve forgotten,” he mentioned.
Zardari then mentioned, “We’re Muslims. They aren’t. However we’re Muslims of the mindset that we tolerate.”
What Pakistan’s Census Says About Its Hindu Inhabitants
Zardari referred to the Hindu inhabitants in Pakistan as being “three to 4 per cent”. Nevertheless, Pakistan’s newest official census offers separate figures for Hindus and Scheduled Castes.
Based on Pakistan Bureau of Statistics information from the 2023 Census, Pakistan has 3,867,729 Hindus, accounting for 1.61 per cent of the nation’s complete inhabitants. The census individually data 1,349,487 folks underneath Scheduled Castes, or 0.56 per cent.
Taken collectively, the 2 classes quantity to five,217,216 folks, or about 2.17 per cent of Pakistan’s 240.46-million census inhabitants. The official census, subsequently, doesn’t present a 3 to 4 per cent determine for Hindus within the nation.
Pakistan’s Hindu inhabitants is concentrated overwhelmingly in Sindh.
The 2023 census data 3,575,848 Hindus, accounting for six.43 per cent of the province’s inhabitants. It additionally data 1,325,559 folks underneath Scheduled Castes within the province.
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Key Questions Answered
Ask News18Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari acknowledged that the Hindu inhabitants in Pakistan is 4%. Nevertheless, he additionally referred to it as “three to 4 per cent”. Pakistan’s 2023 census data roughly 2.17% of the full inhabitants as Hindu, which is about 5.2 million folks.
Ask News18In regards to the Writer
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy Information Editor at News18.com. She has greater than 10 years of expertise in nationwide and worldwide information and has beforehand labored on a number of desks.
August 16, 2026, 07:09 IST
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