Pakistan Studies

RELIGIOUS MINORITIES OF PAKISTAN-A
CONTEMPORAY ISSUE
SUBMITTED BY: FAREEHA PERVEZ

SUBMITED TO: Dr. MUHAMMAD UMAIR RAFIQ
CLASS & REG#: BSMS 2C 1915166
DATE: 5-AUGUST-2020
OVERVIEW
• Mohammad Ali Jinnah, address to the Constituent Assembly, August
11,947:“You are free: you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go
to your mosques or to any other places of worship in the State of Pakistan.
You may belong to any religion, caste or creed-that has nothing to do with
the business of the State.”
• Pakistan, being an Islamic Republic, has a dominantly overwhelming
Muslim majority.
• Minorities in Pakistan make up a very small proportion of the overall
population. Out of the total population, about 95%-96% people practice
Islam, whereas around 4%-5% practice other religions, with Hinduism and
Christianity being the prominent minority religions (Central Intelligence
Agency, 2015)
• The white patch in the Pakistani flag symbolizes the nation’s religious
minority communities.
• The vision of Pakistan at the time of partition was very different to what
Pakistan has become. Pakistan now ranks as one of the most dangerous
country in the world for religious minorities.
• The Christians and Hindus comprise the maximum numbers of minority
communities whereas the other religious minorities are less in number.
Other than the Christians and Hindus, the religious minorities comprise of
Sikhs, Jains, Qadianis or Ahmedis, Bahá’ís, Parsis, Scheduled Caste,
Buddhists and Kalasha and others.
• Generally the minorities of Pakistan are very faithful and patriotic to Pakistan.
Since the creation of Pakistan, many non-Muslim citizens of Pakistan have been
serving the nation and participating in the nation-building process. They have
played their role in all fields, at the national level. Justice A.R. Cornelius, Justice
Durab Patel, Justice Bhagwandas, Jamshed Marker are some of the examples
of the non-Muslim minority who rendered their services for the nation building.
• However, religious discrimination, oppression and religious dissociation against
minorities has become a major contemporary issue in Pakistan.
• Many articles in our constitution regarding the rights of minorities have never
been fully implemented in practice. However they are contradicted by other
provisions of the Constitution.
• Since the creation of Pakistan in 1947, religious minorities in the country have
faced systematic marginalization through various constitutional amendments.
• The state has not only failed to protect the rights of its minorities, but has also done
little to ensure equal rights, and freedom of speech, religion and life for the small
minority population of the country.
• It was during Bhutto’s rule and General Zia’s regime that the space for minorities
became limited in the country with onset of religious extremism leading to extremist
attacks on minorities and their places of worship.
• Soon after Zia’s policies of Islamisation, the narrative and discourse in Pakistan
started leaning towards the right making life difficult for the minority communities in
the country.
CHALLENGES FACED BY
MINORITIES
• Over the years minorities such as Ahmadis, Shias, Ismailia Muslims, Christians
and Hindus have been subject to frequent threats and attacks by religious
fundamentalist groups.
• The issues range from:
• Lack of access to education, sanitation, transportation and health care.
• Occupational discrimination and more direct experiences of violence such as
abductions, and forced conversions.
• Accusations of blasphemy, targeted killings, and frequent attacks on places of
worship.
• The constitution of Pakistan also prohibits any minority member from holding
the highest state positions of President and Prime Minister
• This portrayal of religious minorities and the worsening situation over the past
few years in Pakistan seems to suggest that little or no normal life is possible
for them.
FORCED CONVERSIONS AND
MARRIAGES
• It is a reality everywhere in Pakistan, and is especially acute in Sindh and
Punjab where numerous Hindu girls and Christian girls are forcibly
converted every year.
• In many cases the girls forced to covert and marry are minors and thus are
unable to provide consent and subject to physical and psychological abuse.
• Higher authorities such as the police, under the influence of local elites, fail
to register an FIR against the perpetrator and thus create the first and major
hurdle for the victim families
• Further, once the women convert, there is no going back, as apostasy
would mean a death sentence.
Case of Anjali Kumari, 2014 Case of Reena and Raveena, 2019
Case of Huma
Younus, 2020
THE BLASPHEMY LAW
• Blasphemy is considered a serious offence in Pakistan, especially when it is
allegedly committed by the non-Muslim community.
• Similarly any marginally sane non-Muslim would not even imagine saying anything
against Islam or its Prophet, but yet routinely there are cases against them for
blaspheming, and usually not only are the accused killed but whole communities
destroyed in the reprisals.
Case of Mashal
Khan,2017
Case of Asia Bibi,

2010
Case of Tahir Ahmed

Naseem, 2020
Case of Junaid Hafeez,

2013
IMPACT ON PAKISTAN
• This portrayal of religious minorities and the worsening situation over the
past few years in Pakistan seems to suggest that little or no normal life is
possible for them.
• The country’s current failure to protect its minority citizens is creating further
chaos. Not only has it put the country’s already deteriorating international
image at stake, but also forced the largely peaceful communities to leave
the country with no other option in sight.
• Furthermore, minority groups in Pakistan have a legitimate concern towards
the discriminatory laws against them in the constitution. These concerns
have led to mass exodus of Ahmadis, Hazaras and Hindus from Pakistan.
• Murders of Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti has created an air of fear
where very few could raise a voice against injustices done against the
minority communities.
• The Pakistani media is also playing a negative role by not giving enough
airtime to the issues faced by the minorities in the country.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Reforming legislation and government policies:
• In particular, laws and constitutional provisions that discriminate on the
basis of belief or religion must be reviewed or repealed.
• Fighting impunity:
• Engage in judicial reform and training to ensure that the judiciary,
particularly at the district level.
• Establish independent inquiries into the recent cases of large-scale killings
of certain religious groups and ensure fair trial.
• Educational reform:
• Curriculum should be revised.
• Highly effective complaint procedures.
• Ban on use of hate speeches.
• Media reforms.
• PEMRA must monitor violations and penalize them
THANKYOU

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RELIGIOUS MINORITIES OF PAKISTAN-A

SUBMITTED BY: FAREEHA PERVEZ

Case of Asia Bibi,

Case of Tahir Ahmed

Case of Junaid Hafeez,

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