When Religious Freedom is Taken Away: The Current State of Minorities in Pakistan

Abstract

This research examines the state of religious freedom of minorities in Pakistan through a qualitative approach using a systematic review of empirical literature over the last fifteen years. Pakistan, as a country with a 96.4% Muslim population, has various religious minority groups, including Hindus (1.6%), Christians (1.4%), Ahmadiyya, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Parsi who face a hostile environment. Although the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, promised religious freedom in his speech on 11 August 1947, the reality shows that religious minorities have experienced systematic discrimination since the adoption of the 1949 Objective Resolution. This research analyses the condition of minorities from the perspectives of the constitution, legal implementation, and social practices. The findings show that religious minorities in Pakistan face various forms of discrimination ranging from limited access to basic services, employment discrimination, religion-based violence, forced conversions, blasphemy accusations, to premeditated murder. Pakistan’s constitution limits the political rights of minorities, with only Muslims able to become President and Prime Minister. Although the Pakistani government has signed various international human rights treaties and announced various minority protection policies, implementation on the ground is far from adequate. Blasphemy laws have become instruments of repression that threaten minorities with the death penalty. This research concludes that religious minorities in Pakistan suffer from multiple forms of discrimination and systematic oppression that not only violate human rights but also threaten social cohesion and Pakistan’s image of pluralism in international eyes.