1 week ago
Pakistan Minorities Face Violence, Forced Conversions and Discrimination
Religious minorities in Pakistan include Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis.
A report says many face discrimination and attacks on their places of worship.
Some people are also abducted, forced to change religion or pushed into child marriages.
Blasphemy laws are accused of being misused against minorities.
Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian leader who defended religious freedom, was killed in 2011.
Protesters recently marched in several Pakistani cities to demand better protection.
They want forced conversions to become a crime and want safeguards for families in interfaith marriages.
A U.S. religious-freedom commission has urged stronger international pressure on Pakistan.
Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis continue to face discrimination and attacks on places of worship in Pakistan.
Minority communities also report abductions, forced conversions, child marriages and misuse of blasphemy laws.
Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s first Catholic federal minorities minister, was assassinated in 2011 after opposing blasphemy-law abuses.
Thousands joined the annual Minority Rights March, demanding stronger protections and criminalization of forced conversions.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended redesignating Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern.
- Who
- Pakistan’s Christian, Hindu and Ahmadi communities, civil society activists, Minority Rights March participants, and Shahbaz Bhatti are central to the report.
- What
- The report describes continuing persecution of religious minorities, including discrimination, attacks, abductions, forced conversions, child marriages and alleged misuse of blasphemy laws.
- Where
- The reported abuses and protests occurred across Pakistan, with the march held in Karachi and two other major cities.
- When
- The concerns were highlighted around National Minorities Day, observed annually on August 11; Shahbaz Bhatti was assassinated on March 2, 2011.
- Why
- Protesters are seeking stronger legal protections, including criminalization of forced conversions and safeguards against misuse of blasphemy laws.
Key facts
- National Minorities Day
- Pakistan declared August 11 National Minorities Day in 2009.
- Shahbaz Bhatti
- Pakistan’s first Catholic federal minister for minorities was assassinated in Islamabad on March 2, 2011.
- Reported abuses
- The report cites discrimination, attacks on places of worship, abductions, forced conversions, child marriages and misuse of blasphemy laws.
- Minority Rights March
- Members of religious minorities and civil society activists marched in three major Pakistani cities.
- Karachi turnout
- More than 2,000 protesters gathered at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi.
- USCIRF recommendation
- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended redesignating Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern.
Quotes
US Commission on International Religious Freedom
US government commission monitoring religious-freedom conditions worldwide
“Bhatti was assassinated in Islamabad on March 2, 2011, for his vocal opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy laws. Those laws carry the death penalty for insulting Islam or Mohammed.”
thehansindia.com
“systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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