The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan notes that discrimination, forced conversion, blasphemy accusations, and violent attacks increased in 2023 and 2024.
by Massimo Introvigne
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s report “Under Siege: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2023/24,” released last week, highlights ongoing attacks on religious minorities, including mob violence, desecration of Ahmadiyya graves, arbitrary detentions, and forced conversions of Hindu and Christian women and girls. It notes that the situation worsened in 2023 and 2024 with respect to previous years.
The report detailed that by October 2024, over 750 individuals were imprisoned on blasphemy charges, most of them likely fabricated. Additionally, at least four faith-based killings were documented, three of which involved the Ahmadiyya community.
A major concern raised in the report is the widespread use of social media to incite violence, particularly in cases of blasphemy. The HRCP report points to two notable mob attacks on the Christian community in Jaranwala and Sargodha, which were fueled by social media posts.
Despite investigations into these incidents by the Special Branch in Punjab, no meaningful action has been taken against the groups orchestrating these false blasphemy accusations, the HRCP report remarked.
Furthermore, the report highlighted the impact of radical Muslim clergy, the insufficient compensation provided to victims of mob violence, and the lack of legal assistance available for individuals accused of blasphemy.
Concerns included forced religious conversions and lack of burial space for minorities.
The report highlighted the ongoing impunity for perpetrators of hate crimes and violence, with minimal accountability. It also noted some positive developments, like occasional judicial relief for victims and suspects of faith-based violence.
The National Interfaith Working Group of HRCP, which supports the rights of religious minorities, emphasized the need for modifications to discriminatory laws and suggested constitutional amendments to allow religious minorities to hold the positions of President and Prime Minister. The report also suggested that pro-minority laws be reviewed by the Human Rights Ministry instead of the Religious Affairs Ministry.
The group recommended forming a parliamentary minorities’ caucus and creating a commission to investigate radical Islamic lawyer groups framing false blasphemy charges.
Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press’ Nova Religio. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the “Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions” of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.
