Stories
New Report Highlights Ongoing Persecution of Religious Minorities in Pakistan
- •A new report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan highlights persistent persecution, mob violence, and forced conversions facing religious minorities despite legal safeguards.
- •The report titled Sanctuary Denied documents violations affecting Ahmadis, Christians, and Hindus between July 2025 and June 2026.
- •Blasphemy laws are frequently misused to settle personal scores and extort money, with hundreds of accused individuals facing prolonged incarceration as undertrials.
- •Christian and Hindu girls from disadvantaged families continue to face abduction and forced conversions, primarily in the Sindh region.
- •The HRCP has urged authorities to fairly investigate allegations, prosecute instigators of mob violence, and protect minority communities and their places of worship.
Key Questions Answered
A report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan titled Sanctuary Denied documents ongoing persecution, mob violence, forced conversions, and discrimination faced by minorities like Ahmadis, Christians, and Hindus between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, driven by the misuse of blasphemy laws and inadequate state accountability.
Data from Punjab Prisons shows that 559 inmates were facing blasphemy-related charges as of June 28, 2026, with 491 of them being undertrials. The HRCP report notes that these laws are frequently misused to settle personal scores or extort money, leaving many trapped in prolonged legal uncertainty.
According to United Nations experts cited in the HRCP report, roughly 75 percent of victims of forced conversion through marriage in 2025 were Hindu and 25 percent Christian, with about 80 percent of those reported incidents taking place in Sindh. These victims are predominantly young girls from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who face abduction and child marriage.
