Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Zardari's 'tolerate 4% Hindus' comment draws minority rights scrutiny
Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zardari, made surprising remarks on Independence Day.
He said Pakistan 'tolerates' its Hindu people.
He also said Hindus are free and would rather stay in Pakistan than move to India.
He claimed Hindus make up about 4% of the country.
But Pakistan's own 2023 census says Hindus are only about 2.17% of the population.
That is a little over five million people.
Many rights groups say minorities in Pakistan are not always safe.
They report that Hindu and Christian girls sometimes face forced religious changes and forced marriages.
Some Hindu families have moved to India because they felt unsafe or struggled financially.
So Zardari's description and the reports from rights groups tell very different stories.
President Asif Ali Zardari claimed Pakistan 'tolerates' its Hindu minority, saying Hindus are 'as free as anywhere else' and would rather stay than move to India.
Zardari put Pakistan's Hindu population at 4%, while the official 2023 census records about 5.2 million Hindus, or 2.17% of the population.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom have documented abductions, forced conversions and underage marriages of minority women and girls, mainly in Sindh and Punjab.
Hindu families have migrated from Pakistan to India over the years, citing religious insecurity, alleged persecution, economic difficulties and safety concerns for women and girls.
Zardari spoke at an Independence Day event in Islamabad on August 14 during a discussion of Pakistan's relationship with India and the role of its armed forces.
- Who
- Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan
- What
- Claimed Pakistan 'tolerates' its Hindu minority, describing Hindus as 'as free as anywhere else' and saying they would rather remain in Pakistan than move to India
- When
- August 14, at an Independence Day event
- Where
- Islamabad, Pakistan
- Why
- He made the remarks during a discussion on Pakistan's relationship with India, the role of its armed forces and the broader geopolitical situation in South Asia
Critics and rights organisations
President Zardari
Size of the Hindu population
Critics and rights organisations
Pakistan's official 2023 census records about 5.2 million Hindus, or 2.17% of the population, far below Zardari's 4% figure.
President Zardari
Zardari claimed Hindus make up about 4% of Pakistan's population.
Religious freedom for Hindus
Critics and rights organisations
Rights bodies document abductions, forced conversions and underage marriages of Hindu women and girls, mainly in Sindh and Punjab, which contradicts claims of full freedom.
President Zardari
Zardari asserted that Hindus in Pakistan are 'as free as anywhere else' and free to practise their religion.
Hindu migration and preference to stay
Critics and rights organisations
Hindu families have migrated from Pakistan to India over the years, citing religious insecurity, alleged persecution, economic difficulties and safety concerns for women and girls.
President Zardari
Zardari claimed Hindus 'would rather be with us than India.'
- President
- Asif Ali Zardari
- Event
- Independence Day address in Islamabad
- Date
- August 14
- Zardari's population claim
- Hindus make up 4% of Pakistan's population
- Official 2023 census figure
- About 5.2 million Hindus, or 2.17% of the population
- Historical context
- East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) had a larger Hindu population, so claims of decline from 14.6% at Partition to 2.17% today ignore that territorial change
- Reported concerns
- Abductions, forced conversions and underage marriages of minority women and girls, mainly in Sindh and Punjab
- Cited rights bodies
- Human Rights Commission of Pakistan; US Commission on International Religious Freedom