In a well publicised move, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited local Hindus living in Nagarparkar, a village in the Tharparkar district in Sindh province near the border with India, and met local Hindus living there, local media reports said. 

The program was part of General Bajwa’s scheduled visit to military camps in the southern Sindh province. He spent the day with troops and was briefed by the local commander on the operational readiness of the formation, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan military. 

Talking to the members of the local Hindu community, the army chief assured them that they are equal citizens of the country, and the state has the responsibility to protect them. 

The Hindu community acknowledged Pakistan's efforts in bringing about a secure environment for minorities in the country, reported Geo News. They pledged that their community shall contribute with full zeal towards the economic prosperity of the country.

Hindus comprise little over 2 percent of the country’s over 200 million, mostly, roughly 90 percent, living in southern Sindh province. The community often faces social discrimination in a society increasingly dominated by hardline Islamist political forces. 

In recent years, the country’s judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, has intervened in the protection of the minority Hindus. On Friday, General Bajwa also assured local Hindus that the Pakistan forces will protect the community. 

Having faced a spree of deadly attacks at the hands of both Baloch and TTP insurgents in recent months, the Pakistan Army has reportedly been facing  low morale among the rank and file in recent months. 

Earlier this week, both Prime Minister Imran Khan and General Bajwa visited the troops in the Panjgur, the site in Balochistan where the Pakistan military last week battled the Baloch insurgents for almost three days. 

Frontier Corps (FC), a paramilitary force of the Pakistan military, posted in the restive regions in Balochistan and tribal regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), often face the brunt of insurgents. High numbers of casualties among FC forces and the reported usage of sophisticated weapons like sniper guns and night vision equipment by insurgents are damaging the morale of troops, some media reports have said. 
(SAM)