FOR decades, discrimination and prejudice have narrowed the space for the country’s minority communities. The HRCP has warned that non-Muslim groups subjected to the misuse of the blasphemy laws as well as forced marriages and conversions endure constant violations of basic liberties. Its new report on the freedom of religion and belief welcomesthe National Commission for Minorities Act, 2025, and laws in Punjab and Balochistan that set 18 as the minimum age of marriage, but expresses concerns about enforcement. The report highlights multiple aspects of exclusion — the legal limbo facing hundreds accused of blasphemy, persecution of the Ahmadi community, abductions of minority girls, and damage to places of worship. Sadly, the institutional resolve to implement legislative measures and protect the marginalised is absent.
Lesser citizens
