Islamabad: In 1947, when India was partitioned, the Hindu population in Pakistan was about 24%.
According to a report by the Centre for Peace and Justice Pakistan, Hindu community, comprises about 1.18 per cent of the country's total registered population of 18,68,90,601.
The report, based on data collected from National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), says that minorities constituted less than five per cent of the total population of Pakistan, with Hindus being the largest minority community.
According to NADRA data till March, the total number of registered people stood at 18,68,90,601 of whom 18,25,92,000 are Muslims.
The report that collected data on the basis of minorities that have obtained Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC) from NADRA confirmed 17 identities of different faiths and religions, including 1,400 atheists.
The registered Hindus figure 22,10,566, followed by Christians 18,73,348, Ahmedis 1,88,340, Sikhs 74,130, Bhais 14,537, and as many as 3,917 Parsis, said the report, based on three national population censuses held in Pakistan.
There are 11 other minorities in Pakistan, accounting less than 2,000, who have been issued CNICs by the NADRA.
The majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents. They often complain of harassment by extremists.
In 1947, the Hindu population in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was 30%. Today it is about 7% or probably even less. According to a report published by a local daily newspaper of Bangladesh, the Hindu population in the country has reduced by nearly one million between 2001 and 2011 period. The reduction mainly happened in nine districts – Bhola, Barisal, Jhalokati, Pirojpur, Bagerhat, Narail, Gopalganj, Rajbari and Manikganj. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom have said that Hindus constitute merely 7% of the population in Bangladesh as per as the latest 2016 figures. Hindus in Bangladesh in the late 2000s were almost evenly distributed in all regions, with large concentrations in Gopalganj, Dinajpur, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Mymensingh, Khulna, Jessore, Chittagong and parts of Chittagong Hill Tracts. In the capital city of Dhaka, Hindus are the second-largest religious community after the Muslims and the largest concentration of Hindus can be found in and around Shankhari Bazaar of the old city.
In 2013, Amnesty International reported that the rise of more explicitly Islamist political formations in Bangladesh during the 1990s had resulted in many Hindus being intimidated or attacked, and that fairly substantial numbers were leaving the country for India.
