Hindus celebrate festival of colors in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Hindu community began celebrating their traditional spring festival of Holi on Thursday. The celebration marks the end of winter and expresses gratitude for a good harvest.
The Hindu community in Pakistan makes up about 2 percent of the country’s population, with the most dense population of Hindus to be found in the southeastern province of Sindh, sometimes referred to as “the land of mystics.”
In recent years, several high-profile Pakistani politicians have participated in celebrations for the festival in an attempt to make the community feel included.
This year, Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari extended greetings to the Hindu community, saying that his party stood for equal rights and opportunities for the country’s non-Muslim citizens.
He declared that Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founding father, envisioned an inclusive and egalitarian state, and added that all citizens should be able to celebrate religious festivals in a free and secure environment.
Last year, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has now been disqualified from office, issued a similar message to the country’s Hindus. He said that Pakistan was created as a hub of peace for people of all faiths.