Pak Hindu family arrives in Attari, to seek asylum

A six-member Hindu family from Sibi in Pakistan's Baluchistan district arrived in Attari near Amritsar to seek asylum in India on Monday. A teary-eyed Mukesh Kumar, the family head, said they were forced to leave due to the harassment meted out to the community. "AK-47 wielding motorcyclists often come to shops of Hindus and demand huge money and often plunder our houses," he said. Mukesh sold off his house and other belongings before leaving Pakistan. "We have no problem with Pakistan but with people," Mukesh said at the Attari international railway station. He said his relatives in Pakistan may follow suit. "My relatives are there and could be harassed but I had to save my family. My relatives might also leave Pakistan one day." Mukesh said hundreds of Hindu families are looking to emigrate. He said he would go to Indore, where his cousin lives, and seek his help. Mukesh, who used to run a grocery shop in Sibi, said Pakistani immigration officials were suspicious about their visit and made them sign an undertaking, saying they were not harassed in Pakistan and would return. Mukesh's wife, Suman Devi, said they decided to leave Pakistan after kidnappers killed one of their relatives after the family failed to pay ransom for his release. "The police did not even register a case. I am not going back to Pakistan." Mukesh's daughter Pranjal Pari (8) is unaware that the family has left its home forever but does not want to go back to her school. "I am never allowed to play with other girls. I am always alone in school."