Dacoits in Pakistan's Rahim Yar Khan target Hindu minorities in ransom abductions

Case ID : 34d6cc5 | Location : Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan | Date of Incident : Thu, 3 October, 2024

Case ID : 34d6cc5

Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan

3 October, 2024

Dacoits in Pakistan's Rahim Yar Khan target Hindu minorities in ransom abductions

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

Gangsters in the Katcha region of Pakistan resumed operations, with an incident of kidnapping occurring on the night of October 4. Two Hindus, Shameer Jee and Dheema Jee, were taken from their home in Kalywali by members of the Sukhani Gang, led by Kabul Sukhani, who had a bounty of Rs 10 million on his head. The gang released a video of the hostages, demanding the release of an imprisoned accomplice and threatening harm if their demands were not met. In the past month, at least 12 individuals were kidnapped across Rahim Yar Khan, raising concerns among local residents and officials about the increasing prevalence of ransom-related abductions. The Katcha dacoits are employing honey traps and directly abducting victims from streets and residential neighbourhoods. Despite police efforts, only four hostages were recovered, while one person was killed after ransom demands went unmet. Iqbal Hafeez, President of the Rahim Yar Khan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, voiced alarm over the deteriorating law and order situation, noting that many industrialists fled the region due to rising insecurity and extortion threats from dacoits.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added as a religiously motivated hate crime under the prime category- Attack not resulting in death, of the tracker. Further, based on the case details, the sub-category chosen within the aforementioned category is- Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. In this case, the kidnapping of two Hindu men, Shameer Jee and Dheema Jee, by the Sukhani Gang in Pakistan’s Katcha region underscores the heightened vulnerability faced by Hindu minorities in an increasingly lawless environment in the Islamic state of Pakistan. The targeting of specifically Hindus in this case points directly to religious animosity, as it reflects a broader pattern of discrimination and violence against the Hindu community in Pakistan. This targeting is alarming not only because of the abductions themselves but also due to the historical and systemic issues that Hindus in Pakistan face, including religious intolerance, marginalization, and persecution. Hindus are often subjected to violence, forced conversions, and harassment, and this case of kidnapping further emphasizes the subjugation the Hindu minorities are subjected to in Pakistan. What makes this case particularly alarming is that it reflects a broader trend of attacks on Hindus in Pakistan, which are frequently rooted in religious prejudice and this is why this case has been added to the tracker.