Pakistan religious minorities face rights violations despite legal reforms

A new report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), titled ‘Sanctuary Denied: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2025/26’, indicates that religious minorities in Pakistan continue to face severe rights violations despite recent legislative reforms.

While the report acknowledges the enactment of the National Commission for Minorities Act 2025 and new laws in Punjab and Balochistan raising the minimum marriageable age to 18, it highlights a significant gap between legal commitments and actual implementation. Notably, the National Commission for Minorities has not yet been constituted months after the law was passed.

The HRCP documented the continued misuse of blasphemy laws, noting that hundreds of individuals remain in legal uncertainty. The report also raised concerns regarding organized networks accused of entrapping people in blasphemy cases that have not been investigated.

Specific vulnerabilities were noted for various groups: the Ahmadiyya community faced extremist attacks in Chenab Nagar and increasing social exclusion; while members of Christian and Hindu communities, particularly girls, continue to face abductions, forced marriages, and forced conversions. These issues are reportedly exacerbated by poverty and inadequate police responses.