Hinduism In Pakisthan and Bangladesh

Hinduism is the indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent, including Pakistan. However since the independence of Pakistan in 1947 as a Muslim majority nation, Hindus have had a much smaller numerical presence there. Nonetheless Hindus have played a major role in the history, culture and politics of the country.
The term Hindu is etymologically derived from the Sindhu (Indus River) of ancient India. The Sindhu is one of the holy rivers of Hinduism. Thus, in many ways, the land which is today's predominantly Muslim was an important part in the origin of Hindustan. In terms of population, Pakistan now has the fifth largest population of Hindus.
Evidence of Pakistan's strong Muslim identity is evident today. Only 26 out of the 428 temples are functional now.
Still, Pakistan is ranked as the world's fifth largest Hindu population in the world. While the 1998 Census of Pakistan recorded less than 2.5 million Hindus, the census did not allegedly cover the 2-3 million Dalit Hindus that live in the Thar regions of Sindh bordering Rajasthan (such as Tharparkar District). Likewise, the Pakistan Hindu Council estimates that Pakistan has nearly 7 million Hindus while other estimates put the number closer to 5 million Pakistani Hindus that are mostly concentrated in the Sindh province.
In 1951, Hindus constituted 22 percentage of the Pakistani population (that includes the modern day Bangladesh);Today, the share of Hindus are down to 1.7 percent in Pakistan, and 9.2 percent in Bangladesh In 1951, Bangladesh alone had 22% Hindu population

According to an estimation by Pakistan Hindu Council there are more than 7000000 Hindus are currently living in the different states of Pakistan, but majority of Hindus is settled in the province of Sindh.

The Hindus of Pakistan are a religious minority in an overwhelmingly Muslim society. They constitute about 5.5% of the population of 170 million. They live primarily in the urban areas of the province of Sindh in the lower Indus valley and over half are concentrated in the south-east district of Tharparkar which borders India. For the most part Hindus in Pakistan are well educated and active in commerce, trade and the civil service.
Sindh at one time had a Hindu majority; however, invasion and later settlement by Arabs, Persians and Turks and conversion by Sindhis to Islam led to a decrease in the proportion of Hindus. Prior to Partition in 1947 a quarter of the population of Sindh was Hindu but after widespread inter-religious violence in the North West Frontier Province and in the Punjab the great majority of Hindus living in Pakistan elected to migrate to India. Sindhi Hindus joined in the migration, fearful that violence might spread to their province after Partition. By late 1948 most had left Sindh for India, where large numbers settled in Rajasthan, Delhi and Bombay which is now known as Mumbai.
Above Graph will clarify you about the State wise Population of Hindus and the contribution of Hindus in over all population of Pakistan.


Approximately 94 percent of Hindus are living in Sindh Province, and more than 4 percent are living in Punjab Province of Pakistan, where as a small portion of this population is settled in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Provinces.

This Graph shows that Hindus are contributing more than 5.5 percent in the over all population of Pakistan. In Sindh Province it confirms that population of Hindus in more than 17 percent. While in Balochistan it’s greater than 1 percent, whereas in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa it’s less than 1 percent.


Hindu Temples in Pakisthan