Protecting minority rights in practice

Institutions

• National Commission for Minorities: advises the government on minority issues and examines complaints.
• Federal Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, and provincial minority affairs departments.
• Job quota for minorities in federal and provincial services.
• Evacuee Trust Property Board: manages Hindu and Sikh religious properties.
• Kartarpur Corridor (2019): visa-free access for Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

The 2014 Supreme Court judgment

After attacks on churches and other places of worship, the Supreme Court, in a judgment written by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani (19 June 2014), directed the government to:

• Form a task force to develop a strategy of religious tolerance.
• Develop school and college curricula that promote religious and social tolerance.
• Take action against hate speech on social media.
• Constitute a national council for minorities' rights.
• Set up a special police force to protect places of worship.

Symbols and observances

The white strip in Pakistan's flag represents religious minorities, and 11 August is observed as National Minorities Day in memory of the Quaid's 1947 speech.

Challenges

• Forced conversions and marriages, especially of young Hindu and Christian girls.
• Misuse of blasphemy laws to settle personal scores.
• Attacks on places of worship and communities.
• Discrimination in jobs, such as sanitation jobs advertised only for non-Muslims.
• Biased content in some textbooks and hate speech.

Way forward

• Full implementation of the 2014 judgment and constitutional guarantees.
• A statutory, empowered National Commission for Minorities.
• Procedural safeguards against misuse of laws.
• Interfaith harmony through education, media and community dialogue.
• Swift justice for violence against minorities.

Conclusion

Protecting minorities is not only a constitutional duty but also a test of the state's commitment to the vision of the Quaid and the teachings of Islam.