Key Takeaways
- The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s report highlights gaps between legal guarantees and realities for religious minorities.
- The National Commission for Minorities remains unconstituted despite 2025 legislation, raising concerns.
- Blasphemy laws are misused, leading to violence and collective punishment of communities.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s latest report on freedom of religion or belief paints a concerning picture of the challenges faced by religious minorities in the country. The report underscores the persistent gap between legal guarantees and the everyday realities experienced by these communities.
Notably, the passage of relevant legislation in 2025 has not been followed by the constitution of the National Commission for Minorities, despite the necessary enabling legislation. This omission is particularly troubling, as the effective implementation of laws requires functional, independent, and adequately empowered institutions.
The misuse of blasphemy laws is highlighted as a critical issue. Allegations under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code have led to repeated attacks on Christian communities, including the violence in Gojra in 2009 and Jaranwala in 2023. These incidents demonstrate how such allegations can trigger collective punishment, putting entire communities at risk.
The December 2021 lynching of Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara in Sialkot, following allegations that he had desecrated religious posters, further illustrates the devastating consequences when accusations and rumours incite violence before the facts are established. Upholding the rule of law requires safeguarding the integrity of investigations and judicial proceedings.
The report also points to the vulnerability of Christian and Hindu girls facing abduction, forced marriage, and conversion, often exacerbated by poverty and poor police responses. Effective enforcement, access to legal assistance, and safeguards against coercion are essential to making these protections meaningful.
Discrimination against other minority groups, including restrictions on religious expression and assembly, raises serious questions about equal citizenship. Employment practices that disproportionately confine minorities to sanitation work, exclusionary school curricula, and inadequate representation in mainstream media further entrench marginalisation and prejudice.
The government must translate the report’s recommendations into concrete action. Minority places of worship must be protected, discriminatory recruitment practices addressed, and educational curricula reviewed to promote tolerance and pluralism. The proposed National Commission for Minorities must be constituted and empowered to monitor implementation and hold relevant authorities accountable.
The state must also ensure that administrative and law-enforcement decisions are not distorted by pressure from extremist groups or other influential actors. The measure of a democratic society lies not simply in the rights it guarantees on paper but in its ability to protect these rights in practice.
