Status of minorities in Pakistan

According to the report released by the American Commission of International Religious Freedom, minorities in Pakistan do not have religious freedom. Those who protest are even being given death penalty on charges of blasphemy. The commission has recommended to the US State Department through its report that Pakistan be included in the ‘Country of Concern’ list. Those countries are kept in this list, where human rights have been violated for a long time and the religious freedom and fundamental rights of the people of a particular community are taken away. The report said that many laws in Pakistan have been made to suppress minorities. The report shows that people from the minority community are being continuously targeted.

4 churches were attacked in Pakistan in 2022. In 2022, a mentally ill Christian youth was killed by a mob in Khanewal, accusing him of blasphemy. In 2022, a mob of fundamentalists attacked two Hindu villages in Nasarpur and Sindh at the behest of Mian Mitthu and demolished the houses and temples of Hindu families there. In 2022, the Gurudwara was attacked and converted into a mosque. In Pakistan, a conversion factory is being run in Upper Sindh, especially targeting the people of minority Hindu community. Its leader is Mian Abdul Haq alias Mian Mitthu. There is harassment for conversion. If the minority family protests, they are silenced by accusing them of blasphemy. Under this law, punishment up to death is possible. By passing a legal ordinance in Pakistan, Ahmadiyya Muslims have been banned from calling themselves Muslims, offering namaz in the common mosque and calling themselves Muslims. If someone violates this, he can be given life imprisonment or even death penalty. Ahmadis cannot bury bodies in common cemeteries. This year 30 such graves have been destroyed.

What the American Commission has said regarding the situation of minorities in Pakistan is a truth which no one can deny. The ground truth is that the situation of minorities in Pakistan is similar to that in almost all Islamic countries. Minorities are always under pressure in Islamic countries. Those waging jihad in the name of Islam in the world are not ready to tolerate people from other communities in their everyday life.

A major reason for unrest at the global level is this tradition and policy of Islamic countries. Islamic countries that talk about brotherhood suppress people of other communities in their country and spread terror by declaring jihad in the name of Islam where people of other communities are in majority. These double standards are a big problem facing the world today. Islamic countries need to introspect about the poor condition of their minorities.

At present, following the fundamentalist path will be considered the cause of downfall. It is also necessary for world peace to respect each other’s feelings. If Islamic countries maintain positive thinking and behavior towards their minorities, then the conflicts taking place in the name of religion in the world will reduce.