HRCP warns religious minorities still face abuse despite new protection laws in Pakistan

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s seventh annual report, titled “Sanctuary Denied,” documents persistent violations against religious minorities, from blasphemy prosecutions and forced marriages to hate-speech and discriminatory employment. It records attacks on Ahmadi groups in Chenab Nagar, abductions of Christian and Hindu girls, and the burning of Dr Kamran Gill’s dispensary after social-media blasphemy allegations.

Although the National Commission for Minorities Act 2025 and provincial laws raising the marriageable age to 18 have been enacted, the commission remains unconstituted and enforcement is weak. HRCP leaders warned that blasphemy charges are increasingly used to exploit vulnerable people and urged immediate formation of the minorities commission, transparent data publishing, and legal action against incitement. Recommendations also include police training, curriculum reform, protection for human-rights defenders, and oversight of property boards and seminaries. The commission stresses that full implementation of the Supreme Court’s 2014 judgment on religious freedom is essential.