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Human rights

Alarming Rise in Violence Against Religious Minorities in Pakistan, Says HRCP Report

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has launched a report, Streets of Fear: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2024/25, highlighting a deeply troubling year for religious freedom and minority rights in Pakistan. The report documents a significant increase in violence against religious minorities, including targeted killings, demolition of protected places of worship, and forced conversions and underage marriages of Hindu and Christian girls.

Key Takeaways:

  • The HRCP report highlights a 50% increase in violence against religious minorities in Pakistan during the last year, with a total of 237 incidents reported, compared to 158 in the previous year (HRCP, 2024).
  • The report documents the targeted killings of two individuals accused of blasphemy by the police while seeking protection from hostile mobs (HRCP, 2024).
  • The report notes the persistence of forced conversions and underage marriages of Hindu and Christian girls in Punjab and Sindh, with a total of 456 cases reported in 2024 (HRCP, 2024).
  • The report draws attention to the rise in hate speech against the chief justice of the Supreme Court and public vilification of elected representatives, highlighting the shrinking civic space and emboldened extremist elements (HRCP, 2024).
  • The report also documents allegations of collusion by state institutions in cases where hundreds of young men and women were entrapped in accusations of blasphemy and extorted (HRCP, 2024).
  • The report acknowledges limited progress, including the passage of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025 and provincial legislation establishing research-based centres of excellence on countering violent extremism (HRCP, 2024).

Statistics:

  • 237 incidents of violence against religious minorities were reported in 2024, a 50% increase from the previous year (HRCP, 2024).
  • 456 cases of forced conversions and underage marriages of Hindu and Christian girls were reported in Punjab and Sindh in 2024 (HRCP, 2024).
  • 2 individuals accused of blasphemy were extra-judicially killed by the police while seeking protection from hostile mobs (HRCP, 2024).
  • 158 incidents of violence against religious minorities were reported in 2023 (HRCP, 2024).

Sources:

  • Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), "Streets of Fear: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2024/25" (2024)

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