Citing data, Shah said population of Hindus and Sikhs had declined from 23% at the time of Partition to 3.7% in Pakistan. “Where have they gone? Not as many have come here. They were forced to convert. In Bangladesh, there were 22% Hindus in 1951. The 2011 Census returned their share as 10%. In Afghanistan, there were almost two lakh Sikhs and Hindus and now at the most 500 left. The minorities there have been persecuted and treated as second-class citizens,” he said.
