Cremation for Hindus Becomes Costly in Pakistan, Many Burying the Dead-Bodies

Islamabad : Cremation has become expensive for Hindus in Pakistan. Many Hindus are burying the dead bodies, while many people are waiting for the ashes to flow. On August 5 last year, Article 370 was removed from Jammu and Kashmir by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. After that, the Samjauta Express and Sadbhavana bus, acting as a bridge between India and Pakistan, stopped.

Due to this, Hindus settled in Pakistan have to face troubles to get the ashes of their deceased relatives flowing in the Ganges river in Haridwar. Thousands of dead Hindus of Pakistan have kept the ashes in various temples all over Sindh including Karachi. Pakistani Hindus are waiting to take these ashes to India.

In a message sent by Kanji Ram Chawla, a former Hindu MP from Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab- Pakistan, said, “a large number of Pakistani Hindus are waiting for the ashes of their loved ones to flow into the Ganges river according to their religious traditions and dignities. Pakistani Hindus used to reach Delhi by Samjauta Express.”

According to Hindu Religion in Pakistan, cremation has become very expensive. An amount of Rs. 20 to 25 thousand is being spent in cremation of a Hindu. Waiting for the visa for several days to get the ashes flowing into the Ganges is a different expense to travel to Islamabad and take the ashes to Haridwar.

Hence most Pakistani Hindus have started burying the dead bodies against the traditions of Sanatan Dharma. According to Chawla, the Hindus who cremated the deceased in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some cities of Punjab have a belief that the bones are not able to flow into the Ganges which will not bring peace to the soul of the dead.

More than five million registered Hindus in Pakistan
According to official figures, there are currently more than five million registered Hindus in Pakistan. But various Hindu organizations believe that the actual number is over nine million. A total of 80 percent of the population in Pakistan is of Hindu Dalits and other Scheduled Castes. These Hindus struggling with financial constraints are being forced to bury them instead of Hindu funeral.

In Pakistan, there is a certain place for Hindus for ‘ Pind Daan’, but Pakistani Hindus does not have. Most of the Hindus in Pakistan are settled in Hyderabad, Sindh, Bhanbhur and Mirpur special divisions, while in Punjab most of the people live in Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Liaquatpur and Ahmed Shariqia.

Hindus in these areas either have a common cremation ground or a separate crematorium for each caste. Chawla said that the Indian government should understand the sentiments of Pakistani Hindus and get the issue resolved. The Indian Embassy in Islamabad should issue visas to Hindus soon.