Faith minorities: A litmus test in hybrid scenarios

Shazia Mehboob Tanoli

One of the litmus tests for judging our or for that matter any country’s progress and inclusivity in hybrid scenarios is how it treats its religious minorities, its most vulnerable and marginalized sections of society.

Sadly Pakistan scores pretty abysmally on all these and other related accounts. The aim is to place these issues and debilitating anomalies on the policy maker’s radar.

The constitution of Pakistan states that “all citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.” and that “adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to freely profess and practice their religions and develop their cultures.” Yet, faith minorities continue to experience prejudice, violence, and discrimination in almost all walks of life.

In this regard, the Pakistan-based Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has recently criticized the failure of governments to tackle the endemic religion and gender-based violence in the country. For example, the practice of forced conversions of faith minorities’ girls as gender-based violence as well as victimization of faith minorities on the pretext of blasphemy is a long-standing and persistent occurrence in Pakistan.

On 9 May 2020, a Christian church in Pakistan’s Punjab province was desecrated in a land grab crime. On 11 May, 21 Hindu homes were set on fire in villages in the country’s Sindh province. In one village, a Hindu woman was sexually assaulted and her family attacked.

The data collected by the CSJ revealed that at least 78 cases of forced or involuntary conversions involving 39 Hindu, 38 Christian, and one Sikh girl were reported during 2021, including 40 cases in Sindh, 36 in Punjab, and one case each in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

These incidents increased by 80 percent as compared to 2020 and 50 percent as compared to 2019. Notably, 33 percent of victims were 14 years of age or below, and 76 percent of the victims were minors (below 18 years). The minority girls and women are targeted because of their social and material vulnerabilities, thus, unable to avail access to justice.

The analogues of violence against minorities are pretty extensive. These are not only divisive internally but are extremely damaging to the standing of Pakistan in international circles.

In Pakistan, religious freedom is frequently compromised thus seriously damaging the image of the country abroad. A great deal of thought and effort would be required to improve the country’s standing on religious rights and freedom in international circles. For a country of its size, rich with religious and cultural diversity, it deserves a better image but this would require a robust approach to protecting and promoting human and religious rights of all to accomplish a desired inclusive society.

The image of a country matters a lot in a world that is increasingly becoming closer and interdependent. Perceptions matter a great deal in constructing and forging political, economic and cultural alliances. Human rights and freedom of expression are often key considerations for establishing long-term mutually reciprocal ties between nations.

Therefore, the reputation that Pakistan carries about its rule of law, human and religious rights, freedom of expression and protection of ethnic minorities and , more particularly, women & children significantly matters in international circles alongside the integrity of its governance.

The hard image of the country is not only destroying the country’s reputation in the world of nations but such human rights violations are of great consequence for the Pakistani diaspora abroad, particularly in Europe where Islamophobia is rampant. The mistreatment and abuses of minorities at home only serve harden prejudice and discrimination against them.

The July 2014 verdict by the Supreme Court of Pakistan could have been an important step towards  controlling the violence against faith minorities in the country but  it could not be realised at the federal and provincial levels on the account of various push and pull factors.

It would have been a great relief to the faith communities if the SC directive had been implemented in spirit and action.

Amongst other things, the SC directive stipulated the establishment of a special police task for to be deployed at the places of worship. Had it been implemented, it would have been of much relief for the faith communities. It would also have enhanced the country’s reputation for acting decisively to prevent and control the plethora of religiously motivated incidents that are doing endless damage to the society at home and the reputation of the country abroad. How a country treats its religious and ethnic minorities is one of the litmus tests for Pakistan in hybrid scenarios.