Lahore, Oct 16 Minorities in Pakistan continue to face violations of fundamental rights, misuse of blasphemy laws, forced marriages and conversions, and discriminatory practices, the country’s human rights body said.
In its seventh annual report, titled “Sanctuary Denied: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2025/26”, released on Thursday, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) highlighted that scores of individuals accused of blasphemy remained in legal limbo, while alleged perpetrators of an organised entrapment network were yet to be investigated.
According to the report, girls belonging to Christian and Hindu communities continue to face abductions and forced marriages, compounded by poverty and inadequate police responses.
“Discriminatory employment practices, the distortion of school curricula and the marginalisation of minority concerns in mainstream media further undermine the principle of equal citizenship,” it said.
The report called upon the federal and provincial governments to publish annual, disaggregated data on “blasphemy cases, mob violence, forced conversion complaints and prison conditions” to improve transparency and enable independent scrutiny of official claims.
Given the severity of blasphemy charges, it recommended that investigations under Section 295C of the Pakistan Penal Code be conducted by senior-ranking officials.
It also urged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to enact legislation setting the minimum marriageable age at 18 for both men and women, bringing the province in line with laws recently adopted in Punjab and Balochistan.
The HRCP recommended prompt legal action against “extremist” individuals and groups inciting violence, mandatory training for police and investigative agencies, including the Federal Investigation Agency, on freedom of religion or belief, and stronger safeguards for human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists working on minority rights.
The report further called for an end to discriminatory recruitment practices that confine many religious minorities to sanitation work and urged an overhaul of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) that looks after minority worship places to make it more transparent, accountable, and representative of minority communities.
HRCP also encouraged regular monitoring of seminaries linked to allegations of forced conversions and underage marriages, and recommended that religious conversions take place in court or in the presence of a government official.
It also recommended reviewing school curricula to counter religious bigotry and promote inclusivity and pluralism, operationalising provincial research centres envisaged under countering violent extremism laws, and keeping interfaith committees active throughout the year.
(PTI News)
