Pakistan Bulletin
An up-to-date and informed analysis of key issues of Pakistan.
Minorities and Vigilantism
August 2023
Religious extremism is a complex phenomenon and the elements that go in to making a person/group adopt extremist ideology can be diverse and difficult to untangle. In the backdrop of the recent mob vigilante violence against the Christian community, the writer analyses factors that have led to religious discrimination against the minorities in Pakistan.
Once again Pakistan was witness to a manifestation of vigilante behavior on 16 August. A group of self-righteous people morphs in to law-unto-itself and attacked the Christian community in Jaranwala, Punjab province, over the alleged desecration of the Quran by two Christian brothers. The vigilante mob resorted to vandalism, ransacking and torching of public and private properties belonging to the Christian community. A number of churches and houses were burnt down.
Vigilantism, leading to physical assault, lynching and torching in Pakistan has increased manifold in recent decades, particularly in relation to religious minorities. Accusation of blasphemy is used as a weapon to whip up religious frenzy and incite mob targeting not just the accused but the entire community of the non-Muslims. The prejudice against non-Muslims is so intense that the majority community members often resort to the extreme of falsely implicating non-Muslims in blasphemy. The allegation serves them with the dual purpose: possible expulsion from the neighborhood and potential of accessing the land they may leave behind. In the Jaranwala incident too, local residents suspect that the incident might be a conspiracy to punish the two Christians who had paid money to local visa consultants to move abroad and demanded a refund when the consultants failed to arrange the visas.
While fundamental rights are ensured to religious minorities, the Pakistan Constitution in some of its articles stipulates several conditions relating to religion which have direct implications or indirect bearings on religious minorities. Article 2 states that Islam is a state religion; Article 31 seeks to foster an Islamic way of life; Article 41 disqualifies non-Muslim for the position of President; Article 91 (3) disqualifies non-Muslim for the position of Prime Minister.
In a strong democracy, the institution of citizenship takes deeper roots in society, citizens’ rights and responsibilities both are clearly set out, understood and abided by, and citizens’ rights are solidly attached to a collective national identity.
Blasphemy laws, first introduced in the Indian subcontinent in 1860 by the British to address communal riots, were religion-neutral, against the defamation of any religion. Insertion of five sections specifically against the defamation of Islam (during the 1980s by General Ziaul Haq) in the Pakistan Penal Code institutionalized the discrimination against religious minorities. Religious minorities are frequently victimized through fake charges of blasphemy under Section 295 B and C of the Pakistan Penal Code. To make the matter worse, in January 2023 the National Assembly unanimously passed a further amendment to Pakistan’s blasphemy law through the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2023. In July the Bill was approved by the President of Pakistan. The Bill amends section 298-A of the Penal Code to provide stiffer punishments for the offense of using derogatory remarks in respect to holy personages.
Pakistan, a state created for the Muslims in the subcontinent, was envisioned by its founders as a modern, democratic, nation-state where people of different faith and ideologies would have equal citizenship rights. In contrast to this vision, the reality is an ever rising trend of discrimination, persecution and violence against religious minorities and a
steady erosion of their citizenship rights in Pakistan. A worrying aspect of this trend is that
discrimination is being institutionalized through laws and policies; in a few cases, the laws sanction religious discrimination directly and in others by implication. According to an
analyst, “The law is hostage to pressure from the mobs because there is no effective law enforcement. Unless those who commit crimes are punished, people will continue to take
the law in their own hands”.
There has been a few interventions aiming to turn the tide of hatred. Most noteworthy is the Supreme Court landmark 2014 judgment which laid out a framework for the protection of minorities. Under its recommendations, the National Minorities Commission and Minorities Task Force were established, though rather late, in May 2020 and June 2022. One of the recommendations in the verdict was the creation of a national council to oversee the matters of the minorities. In 2022, a Supreme Court panel conducted 28 follow-up hearings that sent 80 additional orders to the federal and provincial governments to implement the 2014 judgement which remains to be implemented.
Minority rights form an essential component of the social contract between a state and its
citizens. Rights of the minority communities become even more crucial in Pakistan’s predominantly Muslim society where, aside a broad spectrum of non-Muslim minorities, the
majority is characterized with unique diversity as distinct, plural and contesting
interpretations of the dominant religion (Islam), and subsequent identities, are deeply and historically embedded.
Pakistan, as a nation-state, was carved out for the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent who felt their interests would be threatened in the post-independence India dominated by the
Hindus. Religion (Islam) was, thus, at the core of the newly-founded state and as such
became an important component of the collective national identity. Envisioned as a state
for Muslims, Pakistan, however, was not defined as an Islamic state (i.e. to be governed by
Shariat), either by the leaders who founded the state nor by the population at large.
Also, a critical institution of democracy– citizenship—did not factor in the framing of
national identity. In a strong democracy, the institution of citizenship takes deeper roots in
society, citizens’ rights and responsibilities both are clearly set out, understood and abided
by, and citizens’ rights are solidly attached to collective national identity. The emphasis on
religion in collective identity—instead of citizenship– was laid down by the state. The nexus
between religion, national identity and state, thus, was formed at the beginning–with
implications for society at large and for minority groups in particular.
Religious extremism is a complex phenomenon and the elements that go in to making a person/group adopt extremist ideology can be diverse and difficult to untangle. Analysts cite reasons ranging from inequity, poor governance, weak political systems, faulty education, to western imperialism and globalization. Increased violence in society and growing lawlessness indicate the retreat of the state and the failure of law enforcement agencies. The mainstreaming of minority groups in all levels of life is essential to stem the troubling tide.
Join Our Mailing List
Get the latest news and updates from our team