FACTS AND FIGURES MINORITIES HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION IN PAKISTAN AND GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE TO COUNTER SUCH VIOLATIONS

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gpr.2024(IX-I).05      10.31703/gpr.2024(IX-I).05      Published : Mar 2024
Authored by : Badar Jamil , Muhammad Tahir

05 Pages : 37-43

    Abstrict

    In the instant article, we will analyze the reports, articles, and surveys conducted in Pakistan regarding Human Rights Violation to the Minorities groups, although Pakistan is known for its liberal thoughts and cultural diversity, some extremist groups all over Pakistan target minority group some time due to religious sentiments, some time due to political reason and some time for their own personal needs. Human Rights Watch and HRCP highlighted the Rights violations of such individual groups in their yearly reports each year. We have mentioned the recommendation with figures, wherein it was seen that the High Numbers of Population group is fleeing away from the country, whereas the role of Government in tackling the issue is also commendable by various press releases, they have made their positive contribution in fighting against violations. 

    Keywords

    Pakistan, Minorities, Human Rights Violations, Religious Persecution, Discrimination, Blasphemy Laws, Sectarian Violence, Forced Conversions, Targeted Killings, Legal Reforms, Law Enforcement.

    Introduction

    Pakistan is a country of cultures, languages, and religions. According to the report published online by Human Rights Watch, there are 96.47% are Muslims, followed by 2.14% Hindus, 1.27% Christians, 0.09% Ahmadies, and 0.02% others (HRW, 2023). Despite being rich in culture and the address of the founding leader, Pakistan become a hub for human rights violations for minority groups. Despite constitutional guarantees and international commitment, minorities in Pakistan-

    comprising religious, ethnic, and sectarian grounds- often face discrimination, violence, and systematic injustices. In this article we will explore the types, causes, and figures of these violations, we will also be using the facts and figures which are related to such violations. We also investigated the pervasive Human rights violations against minority communities with a focus on Legal, Social, and institutional facts that contribute to such marginalized persecution. 

    Literature Review: Historical Context

    The Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his first address to the nation stated that all the citizens of Pakistan are free, they are free to go to their Worship Places, and the government has nothing to do with the religious affairs (Jinnah, 1947). 

    Legal and Institutional Discrimination

    Although the legal infrastructure in Pakistan has adopted the international treaties of Human Rights in each of its constitutions, surprisingly a specific group in the country, who are responsible for such violations takes the laws for granted (HRCP, 2020). Although the initiative by the Policymakers is commendable we could not neglect the fact about the occurrence of such violations. 

    Sectarian Violence

    The Asian Human Rights Commission in its report published in 2024, stated that there were significant violations including discrimination, abuse, and others (AHRC, 2024), The Amnesty Report in 2023 also highlighted the misuse of Blaspheme Laws, which specifically targeted the minorities such as Ahmadis and Christians. Some Religious Organization was also highlighted in the report published by Human Rights Watch in 2022, regarding the involvement of such violations.

    Forced Conversions and Marriages

    The Hindus in Sindh Pakistan have continuously raised their apprehension regarding the forced Conversion of Marriages, in such connection a report Published by Amnesty International in the year 2018, states that over 100 marriages were performed, although this figure is not accurate, but could be helpful in getting an idea toward the problem.

    Case Studies

    Pakistan has rich culture and religious diversity, having a huge number of population about 96.47% 96.47% are Muslims, followed by 2.14% Hindus, 1.27% Christians, 0.09% Ahmadies Muslims, and 0.02% others. Following are some of the vulnerable groups that face the violation in Pakistan.  

    Hindus in Sindh: The Hindus are prominent figures in the minority group in Pakistan, their occurrence in Pakistan is from the pre-Arabian Empire. The Hindus in Sindh face frequently forced conversion, as they mainly belong to the Business class they also face violations and abuses such as discrimination, kidnapping, and others. (Minority Rights Group International, 2023).

    Christians in Pakistan: Over the decades the Christians have made Pakistan their home, the establishment of the Church of Pakistan and Catholic churches have witnessed their presence for centuries, having 1.27% of total strength, are often observed violence, whereas the demolishing of the worships and false accusation is prominent in Pakistan. (Human Rights Watch, 2022).

    The Ahmadiyya Community: A small religious group comprising 0.09% of the total population is most vulnerable to the violations, they face persecution by the various religious groups. 

    Root Causes

    According to Amnesty International, the root cause of violation may be religious extremism (Amnesty International, 2023). The specific religious group uses the Laws of the Land in order to fulfill their motives, which were originally made to safeguard the rights of any other individual group. Such Laws are being manipulated and used to trap innocent minority individuals and later on, they are persecuted (Ahmed, 2019). Socio-economic factors like poverty, and lack of education are also causes for such violations (HDN, 2023). The weak Governance, corruption, and bias found in the judicial body can also be crucial trigging points for such violations. 

    Methodology: Research Design

    We have adopted a qualitative method for conducting the research and in such conditions, we have gathered the available data from the Official Authors were analyzed them. By sharing the above-acquired data, the views of respectable Law officers were also obtained in order to check the reliability of our research. 

    Data Sources

    We have gathered our data from the following sources.

    • Reports from Human Rights Organizations

    2012-2024.

    • Human Rights Watch (2022)
    • Amnesty International (2023)
    • Legal Documents and Legislation
    • Constitution of Pakistan:
    • Academic Journals and Articles
    • Press Releases and Advocacy Briefs
    • Asian Human Rights Commission (2024)

    As all the articles published above are up to date hence found it suitable to gather the data.


    Ethical Considerations

    In dealing with such a sensible topic it is the prime responsibility to design the research in such a way that no sentiments are harmed, for the said reason, the study is compiled with secondary Data, ensuring no direct harm or risk to participants. 

    Limitations

    The study acknowledges certain limitations:

    Reliance on Secondary Data: The research is based on secondary data, which may not capture all dimensions of the issue. Primary data collection through interviews or field visits could provide additional insights but was not feasible for this study.

    Potential Bias in Reports: Reports from advocacy groups may carry inherent biases. Efforts were made to cross-reference data from multiple sources to mitigate this risk.

    Temporal Limitations: The study primarily uses data from recent years, which may not fully capture the historical context of human rights violations against minorities in Pakistan.

    Data Analysis

    From the Data received from the official authorities and communities, we have gathered the following figures from the year 2008 to 2024.

    Table 1

    Table 1

    Community

    Forced Conversion

    Kidnapping

    Discrimination

    Harassments

    Suicide Bombing attacks Causalities

    Prosecution Under Blasphemy

    Target Killing

    Damage to worship Place

    Violence, Torture, and Slavery

    Sexual Assaults

    Ahmadis

    63

    5

    516

    3549

    86

    14

    16

    14

    30

    6

    Sikh

    2

    1

    18

    15

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Hindu

    153

    36

    11

    2521

    0

    6

    16

    6

    5

    55

    Christian

    142

    19

    54

    1254

    121

    8

    11

    3

    72

    30

    Data Analysis

    The data reveals a grim picture of human rights violations against various minority communities in Pakistan, each facing unique and severe challenges.  The forced conversion of Ahmadis was found as 63, which shows a significant level of religious tolerance, 5 cases of Kidnapping show less frequency. The Discrimination which was 516 documented incidents, the harassment cases are alarming with 3549 cases, one incident of a Suicide Bomber was also found in this community in 2008, although another incident was neutralized which was happened in 2008 by Law enforcement agencies, killing the name of Religion found to 86, along with 14 incident of Worship damages were reported. This particular community faced extreme physical and physiological abuse. 

    Moving on to the next category the Sikh, where the result has shown that they are not immune to violations. There were 2 cases of forced conversion and 1 case of kidnapping, also there were no cases regarding blasphemy were reported in such a community. It is also pertinent to mention here that during the Era of Imran Khan's Governance, the building of Kartarpur Temple and Kartarpur Rahdari appreciated the religious beliefs of the Sikh community. 

    Hindu communities have the largest forced conversion ratio, with 36 reported cases, and Discrimination cases are 2,251. Although being an educated community they are able to fight back against discrimination, still they are being charged with blasphemy cases, the damages to the worship places are also a concerning issue in such a community. 55 cases of Sexual assault show a high rate of gender-based violence in the community. 

    Christians face extensive forced conversions, with 142 cases documented. Kidnappings are significant, with 19 cases, and they experience widespread discrimination, evidenced by 1,254 cases. Harassment is also a substantial issue with 121 incidents. Christians have suffered casualties from suicide bombings, with 8 deaths reported. Legal persecution is evident with 11 prosecutions under blasphemy laws. The community faces targeted killings, with 3 cases reported, and their places of worship have been attacked 72 times. Additionally, they endure severe violence, torture, and slavery, with 30 reported cases, and sexual assaults are a major issue, with 30 cases highlighting the extent of gender-based violence.

    Data on Figures of Communities Who Fled to Other Countries

    Table 2

    Community

    Asylum Seekers

    Business Migration

    Work Visa

    Ahmadis

    16,384

    328

    164

    Sikh

    <200

    30

    678

    Hindu

    1,276

    329

    467

    Christian

    1,959

    218

    1,022

    Community

    Asylum Seekers

    Business Migration

    Work Visa

    Although the efforts of Pakistan encountering violations regarding Religion are commendable, where they have tackled religious-based violations with utmost sensibility. The need for improvement is still necessary, so by concluding the research we propose the following suggestions for the readers.

    Blasphemy Laws should be revised and there would be punishment for those who reported the case but could not prove it, so the misuse could be countered.

    Legislation that safeguards the rights of minorities should be appreciated.

    Law enforcement agencies should be trained to handle the situation where any minority individual is being violated, a recent incident in Taxila where an SSP rescued a woman from an angry mob.

    The independent bodies may be made who could be investigating the religious affairs.

    Religious tolerance education should be made part of the academic so the interfaith sentiment should be appreciated.

    The Public Awareness campaign is where the general public is addressed to tackle religious issues.

    Promoting intra-faith dialogue could help when people from different faiths will sit and discuss their issues to solve them amicably.

    Providing Legal Aid to victims of such Human rights violations, so they can peruse the matter, leads to upholding justice.

    The Data Collection at the Government level should be made, so each and every case should be reported, in this way, the issue could be highlighted and easy to counter.

    Conclusion

    The Rights of every individual are important, whether they are majority or minority. Being a nation with diversity, it is the responsibility of every individual to help fellow citizens, and to be a helping hand, on the other side the Laws and policies have to be designed in such a way that it would facilitate all citizens equally. By admittance of Rights of minorities, we could not only be able to promote cultural diversity but also Liberal Societies that respect all religion and their followers.

References

  • Ahmed, S. (2019). The blasphemy law in Pakistan: A tool for religious persecution. Journal of South Asian Studies, 42(1), 18-37. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4067851/. 

  • Amnesty International. (2023). Pakistan. Amnesty International
  • Asian Human Rights Commission. (2024). Pakistan: Minorities continue to face persecution [Press release]. Asian Human Rights Commission
  • Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung [Federal Agency for Civic Education]. (2022). Pakistan - Religions [in German]. Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung 
  • Freedom House. (2024). Freedom in the World 2024: Pakistan. Freedom House
  • Human Development Network. (2023). Report on the situation of minorities in Pakistan. Human Development Network
  • Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. (2022). Annual Report 2022. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
  • Human Rights Watch. (2022). World Report 2022: Pakistan. Human Rights Watch
  • Minority Rights Group International. (2023). World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Pakistan. [Report]. Minority Rights Group International
  • The Advocates for Human Rights. (2024). Pakistan: Upholding Minority Rights. [Advocacy Brief]. The Advocates for Human Rights
  • The Friday Times (Pakistan). (2024). The plight of religious minorities in Pakistan [Editorial]. The Friday Times
  • United Nations Human Rights Council. (2023). Report of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues on his mission to Pakistan. [A/HRC/55/34]. 
  • United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). (2022). Pakistan: UN experts urge action to address violence against religious minorities. [OHCHR Press Release].

Cite this article

    APA : Jamil, B., & Tahir, M. (2024). Facts and Figures: Minorities, Human Rights Violation in Pakistan, and Government Initiative to Counter Such Violations. Global Political Review, IX(I), 37-43. https://doi.org/10.31703/gpr.2024(IX-I).05
    CHICAGO : Jamil, Badar, and Muhammad Tahir. 2024. "Facts and Figures: Minorities, Human Rights Violation in Pakistan, and Government Initiative to Counter Such Violations." Global Political Review, IX (I): 37-43 doi: 10.31703/gpr.2024(IX-I).05
    HARVARD : JAMIL, B. & TAHIR, M. 2024. Facts and Figures: Minorities, Human Rights Violation in Pakistan, and Government Initiative to Counter Such Violations. Global Political Review, IX, 37-43.
    MHRA : Jamil, Badar, and Muhammad Tahir. 2024. "Facts and Figures: Minorities, Human Rights Violation in Pakistan, and Government Initiative to Counter Such Violations." Global Political Review, IX: 37-43
    MLA : Jamil, Badar, and Muhammad Tahir. "Facts and Figures: Minorities, Human Rights Violation in Pakistan, and Government Initiative to Counter Such Violations." Global Political Review, IX.I (2024): 37-43 Print.
    OXFORD : Jamil, Badar and Tahir, Muhammad (2024), "Facts and Figures: Minorities, Human Rights Violation in Pakistan, and Government Initiative to Counter Such Violations", Global Political Review, IX (I), 37-43
    TURABIAN : Jamil, Badar, and Muhammad Tahir. "Facts and Figures: Minorities, Human Rights Violation in Pakistan, and Government Initiative to Counter Such Violations." Global Political Review IX, no. I (2024): 37-43. https://doi.org/10.31703/gpr.2024(IX-I).05