Dalit Hindu families lured and converted to Islam in Pakistan
Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan 
17 February, 2025
Case Summary
In Khairpur, Sindh, in Pakistan, twenty-five Dalit Hindu families were lured and converted to Islam by a Muslim cleric Abdul Jabbar Hyderi. The Dalit Hindu families belonged to the Bhil tribe. The Hindus were converted to Islam in the presence of the police officials. An X handle named 'pakistan_untold' posted a video regarding this incident in which Imam Abdul admitted to converting Dalit Hindus to Islam. Hindu minorities in Pakistan face persistent persecution, marked by systemic discrimination, violence, and forced conversions. Hindu women, particularly young girls, are often abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to Muslim men with little to no legal recourse. Temples are frequently vandalised or destroyed, and Hindu communities are subjected to social and economic marginalisation. Blasphemy laws are disproportionately used against Hindus, leading to false accusations and severe punishments. Many Hindu families are forced to flee their homes due to religious intolerance, living in constant fear of attacks. This sustained persecution highlights the dire conditions for Hindus in Pakistan, where their religious identity makes them targets of oppression.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory Proselytisation. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement. Predatory Proselytisation is not just limited to threat, harassment, force and violence, but it also has contours of stealth. In several cases, the Hindu victim is exploited to convert, with non-Hindus taking advantage of their poverty. In such cases, the Hindu victim who is suffering financially is offered monetary benefits, including lucrative offers for jobs, health treatment, education, etc, to induce the victim into changing his/her religion. In such cases, the religious identity of the victim and the aim to disenfranchise him from his faith form the heart of the crime. Also, taking advantage of and exploiting an individual’s economic vulnerabilities is widely acknowledged as exploitation, forms of which are often penalised by law. Such cases therefore are considered religiously motivated hate crimes since the victim’s religious identity forms the very heart of the crime itself. The second sub-category relevant here is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious grooming or brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such grooming or brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The conversion of twenty-five Dalit Hindu families from the Bhil community in Khairpur, Sindh, orchestrated by Muslim cleric Abdul Jabbar Hyderi, falls under predatory proselytisation, as it involves the exploitation of vulnerable individuals for the explicit purpose of religious conversion. The Bhil community, being socially and economically marginalised, is particularly susceptible to financial inducements, deceit, and coercive tactics. Given their disadvantaged status, it is evident that they were either lured with monetary assistance, basic necessities, or manipulated through false promises of a better life, making the conversion neither voluntary nor informed. Predatory proselytisation operates by exploiting the weaknesses of vulnerable communities—whether it be poverty, illiteracy, or social marginalisation—to coerce them into abandoning their faith. Such acts are inherently predatory, as they prey on human suffering and desperation rather than allowing individuals to make independent, faith-based decisions. This case qualifies as a hate crime, as it is driven by religious animosity and an agenda to erase Hindu identity among Pakistan’s most vulnerable Hindu population. Such conversions are not acts of faith but calculated efforts to strip Hindus of their religious and cultural heritage, making this a clear instance of religiously motivated persecution. Consequently, this case has been added to the tracker. Disclaimer: In this case, it is mentioned that members of 25 families were converted to Christianity. However, the exact number of victims of this conversion racket is not specified. Due to this lack of clarity, we have relied on the most recent Indian census data, which indicates that the average family size in India is approximately 4.8 members per household. To ensure a standardised estimation, we have opted to consider an average of 5 members per family. Based on this approach, the estimated total number of victims, in this case, is calculated as 125 individuals.
Victim Details
Total Victim
125
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 125
Caste
- SC/ST 125
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 125
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
