Religious Freedom  /  Human Rights

Kashif Mirza Named Recipient of the America 250 IRF Courage Award

The Karachi-based advocate, who has spent fifteen years convening Pakistan’s religious communities and pressing for minority-rights legislation, was honored in Washington with a citation that opened by recalling the assassination of journalist Imtiaz Mir.

Kashif Mirza was named recipient of the America 250 IRF Courage Award during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. (Faith & Freedom News)

Kashif Mirza, Director of the IRF Roundtable Pakistan, has been named recipient of the America 250 IRF Courage Award, a citation presented in Washington that traced his advocacy back to the streets of Karachi, where the risks of the work he does are not abstract.

The presenter opened the citation by recalling the killing of Imtiaz Mir, a Karachi journalist who spent his career reporting on religious freedom. Last September, gunmen on motorcycles opened fire alongside Mir’s car as he was on his way home; he died eight days later. Mirza lives and works in the same city.

Fifteen Years of Roundtables

From Karachi, Mirza convenes roundtables across Pakistan that bring Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and Ahmadis to the same table — an act the citation described as itself carrying risk in the current environment. He has done this work for fifteen years.

“Some in this movement advocate from safety. Kashif Mirza does not. He comes to Washington — and every time, he goes home.”

The citation credited Mirza with going beyond advocacy into legislative work, noting that his efforts helped move Pakistan’s National Commission for Minorities Rights Bill through Parliament last year. He is now pressing provincial lawmakers in Punjab toward what the citation described as something Pakistan has never had: an enforceable ban on forced conversion.

The citation also pointed to Mirza’s continued involvement in the aftermath of the 2023 mob attacks on churches in Jaranwala, stating that he did not move on from the case when media attention faded, and that he remains engaged in pressing the courts for accountability.

“He Goes Home”

The citation closed by drawing a contrast between advocates who work from a distance and those who remain in the communities most affected by the risks they describe, noting that Mirza returns to Pakistan after every trip to Washington. The presenter then called on the audience to stand for the recipient of the America 250 IRF Courage Award: Kashif Mirza.