HRCP reports rights violations against religious minorities in Pakistan — Dawn

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) stated that religious minorities in the country continue to face violations of fundamental rights despite recent legislative steps aimed at protecting them. As Dawn reports, this is stated in the organization’s seventh annual report on freedom of religion, “No Sanctuary: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2025/26.”

HRCP pointed to the misuse of blasphemy laws, forced marriages and conversions to another religion, hate speech and discriminatory practices. According to the commission, dozens of people accused of blasphemy remain in legal limbo, while suspected participants in an “organised entrapment network” have still not been investigated.

Attacks and discrimination

The report also documents two attacks on the Ahmadi community in Chenab Nagar — in October 2025 and June 2026. HRCP said there have been increasingly overt attempts to exclude Ahmadis from public and commercial life.

Girls from Christian and Hindu communities, according to the commission’s assessment, continue to face abductions and forced marriages. As noted in the report, the situation is compounded by poverty and an inadequate police response. Human rights defenders also mentioned discrimination in employment, controversial changes to school curricula and insufficient coverage of minority issues in mainstream media.

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At the presentation of the report, HRCP director Farah Zia said the state’s approach to religious minorities is becoming increasingly exclusionary. Minority rights defender Nabila Feroz Bhatti cited the case of Kamran Gill, a Christian medical worker from Sheikhupura: on October 9, a mob set fire to his dispensary following accusations that he had shared allegedly blasphemous content on social media.

Laws and recommendations

HRCP positively assessed the adoption of the National Commission for Minorities Act 2025, as well as laws in Punjab and Balochistan setting the minimum marriage age at 18. At the same time, the commission noted that the body for minority affairs has still not been formed, although several months have passed since the law was adopted.

Human rights defenders urged the federal authorities to form the commission as soon as possible, approve its rules of procedure and appoint its chairperson and members. Other recommendations include annually publishing disaggregated data on blasphemy cases, mob violence, complaints of forced conversion and prison conditions.

• Adopt a law in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa setting the minimum marriage age at 18 for women and men.
• Hold accountable individuals and groups that incite violence, and strengthen training for police and investigative bodies on freedom of religion.
• Assign investigations under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code to senior-ranking officials given the gravity of the accusations.
• Ensure the protection of places of worship and prevent their demolition without a clear court ruling after hearing both sides.