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Pakistani Rights Groups Mark UN Human Rights Day with Urgent Call for Minority Protections

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On UN Human Rights Day, Pakistani and UK-based activists demand concrete action against discrimination, blasphemy misuse, and violence targeting religious minorities.

Newsroom (11/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) On the occasion of United Nations Human Rights Day, observed globally on 10 December, Minority Concern, a UK-based NGO focused on minority protection, issued a strong appeal calling on Pakistan to take “concrete and measurable steps” to safeguard the rights of religious minorities and fully honour the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In a statement released on Monday, the organisation highlighted persistent “significant gaps” in the protection of minorities despite Pakistan’s formal commitments to international human rights standards. Minorities continue to face discrimination, violence, and socioeconomic marginalisation, the group said.

“Human Rights Day is not merely symbolic; it is a moment of accountability,” declared Aftab Alexander Mughal, director of Minority Concern. “Pakistan’s minorities deserve equal dignity, equal protection, and the full opportunity to participate in national life.”

The NGO outlined priority areas requiring immediate government action: stronger legal safeguards and enforcement of existing constitutional guarantees for religious and ethnic minorities; curbing the misuse of laws that endanger minority communities; delivering justice in cases of violence, forced conversions, discrimination, and targeted attacks; promoting inclusive education and social cohesion to combat intolerance; and expanding economic and political participation for marginalised groups.

Minority Concern further urged Islamabad to partner with civil society, human rights defenders, and international organisations to align national policies with Pakistan’s global human rights obligations. “If Pakistan wants an inclusive and stable future, the voices and rights of minorities must be at the centre of national priorities,” Mughal warned, adding that no society can prosper when segments of its population live in fear or exclusion.

Echoing the call, Naveed Walter, president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), told AsiaNews that serious violations against minorities – particularly Christians, Hindus, Ahmadis, and other groups – are increasingly being overlooked. He pointed to a sharp rise in false blasphemy accusations that ruin innocent lives, alongside ongoing violence, abductions, and forced conversions affecting Christian and Hindu girls and young women.

Walter linked this year’s UN campaign theme, “Our Everyday Essentials,” to the urgent need for renewed attention and practical solutions to protect victims and support affected families. He stressed that collective action across religion, gender, race, and ethnicity lines is essential to build a society where everyone can live with dignity, respect, and freedom.

While welcoming the recent passage of the National Minorities Commission Bill 2025 – a long-sought measure backed by rights defenders – HRFP expressed concern over the future independence of such bodies and warned that legislation alone is meaningless without impartial implementation.

Ata-ur-Rehman Saman, coordinator of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, described an overall decline in Pakistan’s human rights landscape. Speaking to AsiaNews, he expressed hope that the coming year would bring progress, especially for religious minorities, but linked broader advancement to a stronger democratic framework.

“To strengthen the human rights situation, the state should give more power to democratic parties and let them work for the progress and promotion of human rights values,” Saman said. “Only democracy has the power to deal with issues like terrorism, human rights violations, poverty, and inflation.”

As Human Rights Day 2025 draws to a close, activists across organisations reiterated their commitment to a pluralistic Pakistan that respects the rights of all citizens irrespective of faith or background.

  • Raju Hasmukh with files from asianews.it

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