New York

Protesters representing ethnic and religious minorities on Friday protested outside the United Nations in New York, demanding recognition of the genocide committed by the Pakistani Army in 1971 in Bangladesh.

Led by activist Priya Saha, the group estimated that nearly three million people were killed in a span of nine months at that time.

On March 25, 1971, Pakistan Army launched 'Operation Searchlight', wherein a planned military operation was carried out by the Pakistani Army and its military deliberately harmed hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi citizens.

According to the rights groups, the horrors of 1971 are considered one of the worst mass atrocities in history.

Protesters were also carrying placards "calling for help" for women from Hindu, Christian and Sikh communities in Pakistan.

A 2015 report by the South Asia Partnership-Pakistan in collaboration with Aurat Foundation found that at least 1,000 girls are forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan every year.

In a recent case in September 2022, Bhagwanti, a Hindu teenage flood victim girl from Shahadapur, Sanghar, Sindh, was allegedly raped for two days while she went out to get ration.

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Human rights groups have documented the plight of Pakistan's religious minorities for years, but it is only recently that these minorities have become the focus of popular discourse because of revelations on social media regarding their treatment.