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Monday March 24, 2025

Religious minorities’ situation alarming: HRCP

Report documents pattern of systemic oppression including arbitrary arrests, desecration of graves

By Our Correspondent
March 04, 2025
Representational image shows Christian devotees attending an Easter mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore. — AFP/File
Representational image shows Christian devotees attending an Easter mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore. — AFP/File

LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has released a new report, “Under Siege: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2023/24”, which exposes the alarming scale of state-led and mob-driven persecution against religious minorities, especially Ahmadis.

The report documents a pattern of systemic oppression including arbitrary arrests, desecration of graves and violent crackdowns on Ahmadi community’s religious practices. 

A key finding of the report is the increasing weaponisation of blasphemy laws against Ahmadis, often initiated by law-enforcement officials themselves.