India: A Paradise For Pakistani Hindus?
A recent New York Times piece titled " Poor and Desperate, Pakistani Hindus Accept Islam to Get By " talks of "Pakistan’s dwindling Hindu minority". An earlier New York Times story in December 2019 mentioned "the pressure for (Pakistani) Hindus to weigh moving to India". The paper also reported that "the Indian government granted 12,732 long-term visas, compared with 4,712 in 2017, and 2,298 in 2016". These stories raise two questions: 1. Is Hindu population in Pakistan declining? 2. Are Hindus moving to India better off than they were in Pakistan? Let me try to answer both of these questions. Hindu Population in West Pakistan Source: Census Data Hindu Population in Pakistan: There are 8.4 million Hindus in Pakistan as of 2018, according to Pakistan Hindu Council. Hindus, including low-caste Hindus, make up 4% of Pakistan's population, a much higher percentage than 1.85% back in 1998. Hinduism is the Fastest Growing Rel...