Forced conversions, rapes, mob lynchings: US report exposes how Pakistan targets Hindus, other minorities | 20 key findings

Pakistan projects itself as a democracy and guardian of Islam, but the fact is that it remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for religious minorities, particularly Hindus, Christians, Ahmadis, and Sikhs. The US State Department’s 2023 International Religious Freedom Report lays bare the systemic discrimination, persecution, and violence these communities face.

While Pakistan continues to peddle narratives on human rights and justice at global forums, this report shatters the facade.

• The report cites over 136 documented cases in 2023 of Hindu and Christian girls - many of them minors - being abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to their abductors. Victims as young as 14 are forced to testify their "consent" in courts.

• Civil society activists and media continued to report incidents of young Christian and Hindu women being abducted and raped by Muslim men.

• According to the 2023 census results, other groups that together comprise less than 5 percent of the population include Hindus, Christians (including Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and other Protestants), Ahmadi Muslims, Baha’is, Sikhs, and Parsis (Zoroastrians).

• Hindu Dalits are routinely forced into low-caste sanitation and sweepers’ jobs. Even among minorities, caste-based discrimination is rampant, and the state has done little to address it.

• Hindu temples continue to be attacked, vandalized, or encroached upon. In many cases, temple land is illegally seized, and local authorities fail to act against perpetrators.

• Hindu leaders allege their population is deliberately underreported in the national census, shrinking their political representation and access to state resources.

• Major political parties refuse to nominate Hindu women to minority seats in assemblies. Despite being one of the largest minority groups, Hindu voices remain absent in key decision-making bodies.

• Pakistan’s constitution criminalizes Ahmadis for calling themselves Muslim. They are banned from using Islamic phrases, building mosques, or voting unless they denounce their faith.

• In Karachi alone, there were at least five documented attacks on Ahmadi places of worship. Law enforcement largely failed to intervene or arrest vandals.

• In one of the worst incidents, churches and Christian homes were set on fire in Faisalabad by a TLP-led mob, while police stood by. In some cases, victims were arrested alongside the attackers.

• In 2023, 329 people were accused of blasphemy, many on flimsy or fabricated grounds. Of these, 75 percent were Muslims, 20 percent Ahmadi Muslims, and 3.3 percent Christians. Some accused were children or mentally disabled. These laws are frequently misused to settle personal scores.

• Multiple cases of blasphemy-linked lynchings occurred, including one inside a police station. Officers involved were suspended, then reinstated, clearly showing a lack of accountability.

• Ahmadis are denied voting rights unless they publicly denounce their beliefs. Many choose to boycott elections altogether, making the process neither inclusive nor democratic.

• Judges often delay proceedings or issue harsh sentences under pressure from extremists. Courts are known to pass death sentences in the expectation that higher courts will quietly reverse them.

• State-run cybercrime units actively monitor online content for blasphemy. In 2023 alone, 11 people were sentenced to death over social media posts deemed blasphemous.

• Pakistan blocked over 71,000 URLs for “immorality” or “blasphemy,” shut down Wikipedia temporarily, and launched aggressive online crackdowns, silencing dissent and diversity.

• The Evacuee Property Board (ETPB), tasked with maintaining non-Muslim religious property, has allowed commercial encroachment and mismanagement of gurdwaras and temples, violating sacred spaces.

• To avail basic services, citizens must declare their religion for ID cards, passports, and school enrollment. There is no option for atheists, and minorities often face bureaucratic delays and harassment.

• While Pakistan boasts of minority quotas and commissions, these are token gestures. Most do not function or are packed with politically safe minorities who toe the state line.

• In light of these grave and ongoing violations, the U.S. has relisted Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” - a damning indictment on the global stage.

The 2023 US Religious Freedom Report is not just a document - it is an indictment. It tears through Pakistan’s claims of protecting minorities, revealing a state that has institutionalized discrimination, allowed radicalism to fester, and weaponized religion for political control.

While Pakistan rants about human rights in Kashmir, this report flips the mirror. From Hindus to Christians, Ahmadis to Sikhs, no community is safe under Islamabad’s watch.