The UN Human Rights Committee on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) has expressed serious concerns about Pakistan’s ongoing human rights abuses, particularly during the country’s recent review under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) held on October 17-18th in Geneva.
The Committee highlighted critical issues, including the misuse of blasphemy laws, child marriage, abductions, and forced conversions of Christian and Hindu girls, as well as failures in birth registration, anti-terrorism policies, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and violations of women’s rights.
Pakistan ratified the ICCPR in 2010, with its first review occurring in 2017. During the second current review, Tania María Abdo Rocholl, a member of the UN Human Rights Committee, raised alarm over the alarming number of abductions, forced marriages, and conversions of minority girls, particularly from Christian and Hindu communities.
Ms. Rocholl condemned the disturbing trend of young girls being kidnapped, coerced into converting to Islam, and married to their captors, often suffering sexual violence. Reports indicate that the actual number of such incidents may far exceed those reported by the State.
Ms. Rocholl also criticized Pakistan’s police and judiciary for failing to protect these vulnerable children, with many girls not being returned to their families and instead being re-victimized in shelters lacking adequate protection.
She called for immediate action from the Pakistani government to prevent, investigate, and punish those involved in these heinous crimes, including clerics, security personnel, and judicial authorities who may be complicit.
Wafaa Ashraf Moharram Bassim, another committee member, expressed deep concern over the widespread misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which pose threats to religious minorities such as Christians, Shia Muslims, Ahmadis, Hindus, and Sikhs.
Bassim highlighted the rising tide of mob violence, targeted killings, and forced conversions that exemplify Pakistan’s growing intolerance towards these communities.
Bassim also raised alarms over troubling legislative initiatives, particularly the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2023, which increases penalties for blasphemy, raising the sentence for insulting sacred personalities from three years to life imprisonment, with a minimum sentence of ten years.
This law makes such offenses non-bailable, intensifying the persecution of minorities and heightening concerns about personal liberty and the potential for abuse of these laws. She questioned the government on measures taken to ensure accountability for the misuse of blasphemy laws.
This writer, a permanent human rights defender and advocacy officer with Jubilee Campaign in the Netherlands, delivered an oral statement highlighting the severe violations of religious freedom in Pakistan.
I emphasized that blasphemy laws are often misused to settle personal disputes, intimidate religious minorities, and suppress dissent, frequently leading to mob violence and extrajudicial killings with little or no evidence.
High-profile cases, such as the killings of Nazir Masih, Muhammad Sulaiman, Syed Khan, and Dr. Shahnawaz in 2024, along with the mob attack on Christian settlements in Jaranwala, Faisalabad in 2023, underscore the failure of state institutions to protect citizens, fostering a dangerous climate of impunity.
Forced conversions of minor girls from religious minority communities remain a significant concern. These girls are abducted, coerced into converting to Islam, and forced into marriage, with perpetrators often escaping legal repercussions due to inadequate safeguards and enforcement.
Authorities have yet to recover 14-year-old Shifa Rafaqat from Sheikhupura, abducted over 11 months ago. Furthermore, six Christian families in Lahore were coerced into converting to Islam in exchange for debt forgiveness. Discriminatory policies from NADRA prevent Muslims from converting while allowing non-Muslims to change their religion on official documents.
As a state party to the ICCPR, Pakistan is obligated to ensure fundamental rights, including religious freedom and non-discrimination for all its citizens, particularly minorities. However, the country’s repeated failure to address these longstanding issues calls for urgent attention and action.
Jubilee Campaign strongly urged the Committee to recommend that the Government of Pakistan:
- Repeal or amend blasphemy laws to eliminate restrictions on religious freedom and curb their misuse for false accusations that foster a climate of fear and intimidation. This should include strong legal and administrative measures to hold accountable those inciting hatred and violence, including extrajudicial killings and mob attacks under the guise of blasphemy accusations. The accused of blasphemy should not be prosecuted under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
- Adopt and enforce legislation criminalizing forced conversions in line with international standards of religious freedom and take decisive action against abductions, child marriages, and forced marriages of girls and women from religious minorities. Cases involving minor girls must be handled with utmost seriousness, ensuring victims receive legal protection and access to justice.
Jubilee Campaign sincerely hopes the Committee’s specific and actionable recommendations will guide Pakistani authorities in taking meaningful actions to address the harmful effects of blasphemy laws and forced conversions, ensuring equal rights, protection, and justice for all citizens, regardless of their faith.
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