GENEVA – UN human rights experts* today called on the government of Pakistan to take concrete measures to prevent extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and attacks against places of worship and cemeteries amid ongoing violence and discrimination against religious minorities, including the Ahmadi community.
“We are shocked at reports of increasing violence against vulnerable communities on grounds of their religion or belief,” the experts said. “These communities have witnessed relentless attacks, killings and unending harassment for months in the context of hostility and advocacy of hatred against them.”
“Pakistan must break the pattern of impunity that has allowed perpetrators of attacks and incitement to hatred and violence to act without restraint,” they said. “These attacks take place with tacit official complicity whilst the cycle of fear prevents people and institutions from upholding the rights and dignity of these minorities.”
The experts called on the Government of Pakistan to promptly investigate these violations, bring perpetrators to justice and take immediate remedial measures to ensure a sense of safety and security, particularly to the Ahmadiyya community.
They acknowledged initial arrests and court proceedings in some cases but noted that the sentencing of perpetrators has failed to meet the gravity of offences and let many individuals avoid justice with impunity.
In the past year alone, the Ahmadiyya community has endured numerous human rights violations, including killings, deaths in custody, and arbitrary detention. They have also been the target of religious discrimination, with the demolition of a historic 100-year-old mosque in Daska, the closure of a mosque in Malir, Karachi, the destruction of minarets in Bahawalnagar, desecration of at least 82 Ahmadi graves in Kotli, Azad Kashmir, mass arrests of minors and persons with disabilities in Sargodha, Daska and Pasrur, and violent attacks during Eid celebrations in Azizabad, Karachi, during which mosques were vandalised. It is reported that Ahmadi mosques in major cities like Karachi and Lahore have been sealed or forcibly shut down.
Women, particularly in detention on blasphemy charges, face significant gendered harms. “These violations demonstrate widespread hostility towards Ahmadis in Pakistan exacerbated by hate speech and incitement to violence by political and religious figures,” the experts said.
They stressed that there was an upsurge in reported cases of human rights violations against minorities despite a resolution at the Pakistan National Assembly in June 2024 urging Federal and Provincial Governments to ensure the safety and security of all citizens of Pakistan. They also called on Pakistan to repeal its blasphemy laws.
“We stand ready and willing to support the Pakistani Government in effective implementation of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international human rights instruments,” the experts said.
The experts have raised concerns about allegations of discrimination against minority communities with the Pakistani Government, especially allegations of violence against the Ahmadi community and vigilante violence following accusations of blasphemy.
*The experts: Morris Tidball-Binz, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Nazila Ghanea, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief; Irene Khan, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Reem Alsalem, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences; Ms. Ganna Yudkivska (Chair-Rapporteur), Mr. Matthew Gillett (Vice-Chair on Communications), Ms. Miriam Estrada Castillo (Vice-Chair on Follow-Up), and Mr. Mumba Malila, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and Laura Nyirinkindi (Chair), Claudia Flores (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Ivana Krstić, and Haina Lu, the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls
Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.
Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/
UN Human Rights, country page – https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/pakistan
For inquiries and media requests, please contact: hrc-sr-freedomofreligion@un.org
For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org) or Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org)
Source: United Nations
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