The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has welcomed certain government measures as positive steps, including the enactment of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025 and the establishment of provincial research centres to counter violent extremism.
According to the commission, the initiatives mark important progress toward safeguarding religious freedom and minority rights.
In its latest report, "Streets of Fear: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2024/25", HRCP revealed a disturbing rise in violence against religious minorities over the past year.
The report highlighted incidents of targeted killings, the demolition of places of worship, the forced conversion and marriage of underage Hindu and Christian girls and an increase in hate speech, warning that the trends pose serious threats to religious freedom in Pakistan.
The report expressed alarm over two cases of "extrajudicial killings" by police, describing them as "deeply chilling".
In both cases, individuals accused of blasphemy sought protection from violent mobs, only to be shot dead by law enforcement officers themselves.
HRCP said such incidents underline the urgent need for police reforms and stronger accountability mechanisms.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ