Last week (14 August) 2024, marked the 77th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence following the termination of the British Raj. Politician and founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, demanded a homeland for Muslims, which was ultimately achieved with Pakistan’s formation.
While Pakistan celebrates its independence, it's crucial to reflect on the rights and freedoms of all its citizens.
Unfortunately, the reality for many minorities in Pakistan is far from celebratory. Over the years, reports from various international human rights organizations have highlighted systematic discrimination and persecution faced by religious and ethnic minority communities, including Sindhis, Baloch, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and others.
Many of the human rights violations that occur in Pakistan stem from a strong religious intolerance within the population. Pakistan, with 97 percent of its citizens being Muslim, has declared Islam to be the official state religion. Religious minorities in Pakistan face harsh religious laws and discrimination.
Most notably, its blasphemy law states that any derogatory remarks about the prophet Muhammed will be punished with death or imprisonment for life. Since Pakistan’s independence, at least 1,500 people have been officially accused of blasphemy. Even though none have been sentenced to death, over 90 of these civilians were extrajudicially killed after their accusation. Many others were imprisoned without a trial.
The blasphemy law has also created a situation of lawlessness around blasphemy allegations as they have often been used to settle personal vendettas. This has led to many arbitrary detentions, such as those of Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel, a Christian-Pakistani couple who were accused of sending blasphemous text messages in 2014, despite both being illiterate.
Additionally, blasphemy allegations have turned into violence against religious minorities. In August 2023, following a blasphemy allegation, a mob attacked a Christian neighbourhood in the town of Jaranwala, where several houses and churches were burnt down as a result.
More recently, Nazir Gill Masih, a Christian shoe factory owner, died in a mob attack against his home on 25th May 2024.
The religious discrimination in Pakistan permeates many aspects of life. Christians, typically situated in the lowest socio-economic strata, often find themselves relegated to menial sanitation roles.
Particularly vulnerable are girls from religious minority backgrounds, who frequently encounter early barriers to education due to discriminatory practices. They suffer disproportionately from malnutrition, have lower school attendance rates, and struggle with higher illiteracy levels compared to their Muslim counterparts. These girls also endure relentless pressure to convert to Islam, exposing them to the risks of forced conversions and premature marriages — phenomena increasingly prevalent in recent years.
Despite Pakistan's constitutional commitment to safeguarding minority rights, ethnic groups like the Baloch and Sindh face systemic oppression from state and military apparatuses, due to their regional interests and aspirations for autonomy.
The government's heavy-handed response to dissent further exacerbates the situation, resulting in enforced disappearances. In 2023 alone, over 500 ethnic Baloch individuals vanished under suspicious circumstances, a trend also found in Sindh.
Pakistan's government routinely suppresses and eliminates ethnic minorities and dissenters without due process, thereby violating both human rights principles and the nation's own constitutional mandates.
Currently, Pakistan has privileged access to the EU market with the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), dependent upon its adherence to international conventions, including those concerning minority rights. As a beneficiary, Pakistan's compliance with these standards is supposedly crucial for maintaining its trade benefits.
And yet, the rights of the Sindhi, Baloch, Christians, and other minorities are continuously violated with little to no consequences. Time and time again, human rights activists and defenders from the communities, as well as members of the international community, have called for attention and accountability in Pakistan.
It is time the EU takes action and demands Pakistan's adherence to these conditions as the EU has the authority to suspend or withdraw GSP+ privileges in case of serious violations. By leveraging its trade relationship, the EU can incentivise reforms and improvements in the treatment of minority communities, aligning with its values of human rights and contributing to Pakistan's inclusive development.
Global Human Rights Defence calls on the EU and the international community to stress Pakistan’s commitment to upholding the principles of equality, justice, and pluralism upon which the country was founded. Though its founder Muhammad Jinnah established the country as a homeland for Muslims, he also believed in the freedom of minorities, as he stated in his 1947 speech: "You may belong to any religion or caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the state ... We are starting with this fundamental principle: that we are all citizens, and equal citizens of one state."
Let us remind Pakistan of its founding aspiration to create a country where every citizen, regardless of their religious or ethnic identity, can live with dignity, freedom, and respect.