Religious diversity should enrich societies, foster tolerance, and give people the freedom to live according to their beliefs. In Pakistan, however, religious diversity has too often become a source of division, discrimination, and violence. A new report by the Washington D.C.-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) finds that the state of religious freedom in Pakistan is “increasingly dire.”
Christians, Hindus, Ahmadis, Sikhs, and other minorities continue to bear the brunt of systemic persecution. They face blasphemy allegations, mob attacks, forced conversions, targeted killings, and destruction of their places of worship. Women and girls, in particular, remain at heightened risk of abduction and forced marriages. The report makes clear that despite constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, minorities in Pakistan live under constant threat, with little hope of justice.
Blasphemy Laws as a Weapon
Central to this persecution is Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law. Originally made to protect religious sentiments, the law is now widely misused to intimidate, settle personal disputes, or extort money. Accusations alone—whether true or fabricated—are often enough to spark mob violence.
Christians in Punjab have suffered some of the worst attacks. In August 2023, following false accusations against two brothers, mobs descended on the Christian town of Jaranwala, torching more than 20 churches and dozens of homes. A year later, in May 2024, 72-year-old Lazir Masih was beaten to death in Sargodha after being accused of desecrating the Quran. His house and shop were ransacked, and other Christians in the neighborhood were assaulted.
Even when victims are acquitted, the scars remain. The brothers from Jaranwala were eventually cleared of blasphemy charges, but no action has been taken against the mobs that destroyed their community. This impunity has left Christians deeply vulnerable, unsure whether the state will protect them or their attackers.
Forced Conversions and Stolen Childhoods
For women and girls from minority communities, persecution often takes the form of abduction and forced conversion. According to the CSOH report, Hindu and Christian girls are particularly at risk.
In March 2024, a 10-year-old Christian girl, Laiba, was kidnapped from her home in Punjab, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to her 35-year-old abductor. Documents were falsified to show she was 17. Rather than returning her to her parents, a court ordered that she be kept in a state-run shelter.
In December 2024, 15-year-old Hindu girl Kajol was abducted from her home in Sindh, tortured, raped, converted, and forced into marriage. Her name was changed to “Javeriya,” and her age was falsified to make the marriage appear legal. Despite appeals from her family, she remains trapped with her abductors.
Minority men face coercion, too. In March 2025, Hindu sanitation worker Nadeem Naath was shot dead in Peshawar after refusing to convert to Islam. In the same month, 22-year-old Christian laborer Waqas Masih survived an attack by his supervisor, who slit his throat after pressuring him to abandon his faith.
These cases illustrate how religious identity makes minorities targets not only of discrimination, but of violence that denies them even basic safety.
Ahmadis: A Community Under Siege
Among all minorities, Ahmadis face the most systematic persecution. Declared non-Muslims by the state in 1974, they are legally prohibited from calling themselves Muslims, referring to their places of worship as mosques, or using Islamic symbols. This legal exclusion has turned them into perpetual targets.
In 2024, six Ahmadis were killed in targeted faith-based attacks. By April 2025, three more had been murdered, including Laeeq Ahmad Cheema, lynched in Karachi by supporters of the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). That same year, two elderly Ahmadis were dragged from a courtroom in Karachi and beaten by a mob. One later died from injuries sustained in custody.
Ahmadi worship sites and cemeteries are also routinely vandalized. On Independence Day 2025, mobs in Faisalabad vandalized two Ahmadi places of worship, tearing down their minarets and setting one on fire. Local homes were also attacked, leaving several injured.
Hindus and Sikhs: Vulnerable Communities
Hindus, Pakistan’s largest minority, continue to face violence and forced conversions. In 2019, a blasphemy accusation against Hindu teacher Notan Lal in Sindh triggered riots: Hindu shops were looted, a school ransacked, and a temple attacked. Though Lal was acquitted in 2024, his case is a reminder of how quickly allegations can ignite communal violence. In 2020, a historic temple in Karak was torched by a mob protesting its expansion, despite Supreme Court orders for protection.
The Sikh community, though small, has also been repeatedly targeted. Between 2022 and 2023, at least five Sikhs were murdered in targeted attacks. In Peshawar, businessman Manmohan Singh and trader Dayal Singh were both shot dead by unidentified gunmen. In Lahore, Sardar Singh was killed in a similar attack. These killings have driven many Sikhs into isolation, fearing further violence.
Digital Hate and Expanding State Control
Social media has become a double-edged sword. While it gives minorities a platform to share their stories, it has also become a powerful tool for extremists to mobilize mobs and spread hate. The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), first passed in 2016, is increasingly being used to monitor online speech. In January 2025, Pakistan’s parliament passed amendments giving the government sweeping powers to regulate social media, criminalizing even the sharing of statements from banned groups.
But rather than curbing hate, these laws are often turned against minorities. In 2024, a Christian man, Ehsan Shan, was sentenced to death after being accused of reposting Quran pages on TikTok. That same year, a Christian woman, Shagufta Kiran, received a death sentence for allegedly sharing offensive messages on WhatsApp.
Impunity and the Way Forward
Despite occasional positive rulings—such as the annulment of a forced conversion marriage and acquittals in blasphemy cases—impunity remains widespread. Extremist groups like TLP openly incite hatred, often with the tacit support of local authorities.
The CSOH report concludes that “the state of religious freedom in Pakistan continues to deteriorate, with religious minority groups facing widespread discrimination, persecution, and violence. Despite constitutional protections, the government often tolerates or enables the marginalization of religious minorities.”
The way forward is clear: repeal blasphemy laws that enable violence, enact and enforce protections for minority women and children, hold extremists accountable, and strengthen safeguards against online hate. Most importantly, Pakistan must foster a culture where minorities are seen not as outsiders, but as equal citizens.
A Human Duty
The persecution of Pakistan’s minorities is not only a political and legal issue—it is a deeply human tragedy. It is about families who lose their homes overnight, young girls robbed of their childhoods, and entire communities forced to live in fear.
And yet, amid this fear, these communities show remarkable resilience. Christians continue to rebuild burned churches, Hindus fight for their temples, Ahmadis stand firm in their faith, and Sikhs strive to keep their culture alive.
Their courage should compel Pakistan—and the world—to act. Protecting them is not just the responsibility of the state. It is the duty of every person who believes that justice, dignity, and humanity must prevail over hate.
Until that vision becomes reality, the stories of Pakistan’s minorities will remain a painful reminder of how far the country has yet to go.