London: British Prime Minister Tony Blair has raised the issue of alleged harassment of Kazakh Hindus with the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, at a meeting.
The meeting took place even as riot police and bulldozers assembled inside a Hindu temple in Kazakhstan and allegedly demolished five Hindu houses, the Hindu Forum of Britain said on Wednesday.
According to the Forum, the Kazakh government is allegedly planning to bulldoze a Hindu temple in the Karasai District in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
In their efforts to highlight the plight of Hindus in Kazakhstan, MP Ashok Kumar has tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons.
The Motion said: "This House, prior to the visit of the President of Kazakhstan, condemns the harassment of and discrimination against Hindu minorities in Kazakhstan; notes that Hindus in the Karasai district have had land, barns and cows confiscated, have been threatened with demolition of their houses, and denied the right to own land.
It further noted that Kazakh Hindus who applied for ownership of their houses were asked to declare that they were not Hindus, while non-Hindus who made similar applications were immediately granted ownership rights.
It also acknowledged that the Supreme Court reviewed two cases regarding Hindu cottages and ruled against Hindus without inviting the plaintiffs to the hearings."
Forum 18, a human rights website has linked the Kazakh President's brother to the demolition and land-grab attempt suggesting that the value of the land could be the reason why Hindus are being harassed and subjected to human rights violations.
"The human rights violation against Kazakh Hindus has caused worldwide condemnation," said President of the National Council of Hindu Temples, UK, Sudarshan Bhatia, who is leading the Defend Kazakh Hindus Campaign.
"We call upon the President to intervene to stop action to demolish houses belonging to the followers of Hinduism, facilitate legal registration of properties owned by Hindus, allow Hindus to occupy their homes and worship freely."
"We ask for a complete review of decisions made against Hindus in the court, call upon the President to order the Karasai District Hakimat to have all cases against the Kazakh Hindus withdrawn and basic human rights values restored," said President of the Hindu Forum of Britain, Ishwer Tailor.
Comments
0 comment