Human Rights Groups Show Rising Militancy And Violence Against Minorities In Pakistan

On 19 August, during a seminar held in Lahore, the Independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) drew attention to the growing violence against Christians and Hindus in the country.

The seminar marked the launch of HRCP’s latest report, Streets of Fear: Freedom of Religion and Belief in 2024/25, which offers a deeply troubling overview of the past year regarding religious freedom and minority rights in Pakistan.

The report highlights a disturbing rise in violence against religious minorities, including targeted killings of Ahmadis and the demolition of protected places of worship. In a chilling development, two individuals accused of blasphemy—a crime under Islamic law—were extrajudicially killed by police while seeking protection from hostile mobs. These incidents underscore the urgent need for reform within law enforcement agencies and the strengthening of accountability mechanisms.

Pakistan is an Islamic republic where religious minorities constitute less than five percent of the population, with Muslims making up nearly 95 percent.

The report also draws attention to ongoing forced conversions and underage marriages of Hindu and Christian girls in Punjab and Sindh, exposing the systematic failure to enforce child marriage restraint laws. Meanwhile, the rise in hate speech—ranging from threats against the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to public vilification of elected representatives—reflects a shrinking civic space and emboldened extremist elements.

A Christian human rights activist expressed concern over the lack of meaningful action, stating that it is deeply worrying that Pakistan has yet to address the root causes of systemic discrimination against religious minorities.

Attaurrehman Saman, Deputy Director of Research and Publications at the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP)—the human rights body of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan—raised serious concerns about the plight of minorities. He remarked that the report clearly illustrates the persistent cycle of violence against minorities in Pakistan. “Yet the most important question remains: why is this violence increasing? At a time when the world is moving toward greater inclusion, why are we, as a nation, slipping back into regressive cycles of intolerance and brutality?”

The HRCP also expressed concern over the growing alignment of bar associations (lawyers’ organizations) with extremist religious groups—a trend that poses a serious threat to the independence of the legal profession. The report documents allegations of collusion by state institutions in cases where hundreds of young men and women were entrapped in blasphemy accusations (a crime under Islamic law) and subjected to extortion.

According to the press release issued by HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt, despite the grim findings, the report acknowledges limited progress. This includes the passage of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025 and the introduction of provincial legislation to establish research-based centres of excellence to counter violent extremism.

HRCP strongly urges the federal government to establish an inquiry commission based on the findings of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) regarding entrapment in blasphemy allegations. The authorities should also monitor seminaries (Islamic religious institutions) that are frequently implicated in the conversion of underage Christian and Hindu girls.

Furthermore, HRCP demands that law enforcement agencies be better equipped to protect individuals from mob violence. This includes vital police training in intelligence gathering, crowd control, early riot detection, and community policing. Swift legal action should be taken against those who incite or lead such mobs.

As recommended in HRCP’s previous reports, the government must urgently establish an independent statutory national commission dedicated to minority rights, ensuring equal representation for all religious communities.

Saman, a human rights defender, emphasized that seventy-eight years after independence, it is deeply troubling that the very existence of religious minorities—including Ahmadis, Christians, and Hindus—is still treated as a burden and stigma in Pakistani society. “This is not only a failure of governance but also a reflection of deep social fractures and a lack of political will to address the issues facing religious minorities,” he said.

He added that unless Pakistan confronts and addresses the root causes of this injustice—systemic discrimination, the misuse of religion in politics, and impunity for perpetrators—the country cannot progress as a just and equitable society.