Pakistan’s seemingly inability to protect its minorities is not just a moral disaster. It is a sign of national decline. A country that suppresses its own diversity is choosing decay over development.
Image: pixabay
While Pakistan grapples with a collapsing economy and rising insecurity, a darker and more disturbing story is unfolding in the shadows.
Instead of focusing on urgent national challenges, the country's powerful institutions are directing their attention towards religious and ethnic minorities — most notably Hindus and Sindhis — with alarming consequences.
A disturbing incident in Sindh province this year brought the crisis into sharp focus. A man accused of blasphemy was gunned down by police in what they called an "encounter." Shortly after, footage surfaced showing local clerics celebrating the killing and showering the officers with flower petals. No investigation followed. No accountability was demanded. Instead, the message was clear — religious violence is not only tolerated but rewarded.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has warned that such extrajudicial killings are becoming more frequent. The commission called this trend a grave threat to the rule of law, describing the current wave of religious vigilantism as a sign of institutional decay.
Blasphemy laws in Pakistan have long been a source of international concern. However, what is unfolding now represents a dramatic escalation. According to rights groups, the number of registered blasphemy cases has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2020, there were fewer than fifteen such cases. By 2024, the number had surged to nearly five hundred. Most of the accusations are directed at non Muslims and often stem from personal feuds or deep-rooted prejudice.
For Hindus in particular, daily life has become a tightrope walk. A casual comment or a false rumour can lead to mobs attacking homes, looting shops or even killing the accused. Entire neighbourhoods have been burned to the ground. Victims rarely see justice. Police either fail to act or in some cases, actively participate in the violence.
Religious persecution is only one part of the crisis. Forced conversions of Hindu girls and children are being reported with disturbing frequency. In one shocking case in June, three teenage Hindu girls and one young boy were kidnapped in Sindh and later declared to have willingly converted to Islam. Families disputed the claims but the court accepted the conversions as voluntary.
Rights organisations say these conversions are rarely genuine and often involve threats, abuse and coercion. Most victims are minors. Their families are left broken and powerless. Authorities have shown little interest in investigating these cases.
Alongside physical threats, cultural erasure continues unchecked. Pakistan has over three hundred Hindu temples, but only a handful are actively maintained. Many have been left to crumble or have been illegally occupied. Extremists have attacked temples with near total impunity. The result is a slow but deliberate erasure of Hindu identity from the public space.
Sindhis, although mostly Muslim, face a parallel struggle rooted in ethnic and political marginalisation. Despite Sindh being a resource-rich province that contributes heavily to Pakistan’s energy supply, the local population remains impoverished and excluded. Activists say the central government exploits Sindh’s resources while offering little in return.
Those who raise their voices often disappear. Enforced abductions have become routine. Writers, students and political workers who speak out against exploitation are picked up by security forces and vanish without a trace. Some are later found dead. Others are never seen again. These disappearances are rarely investigated, and the perpetrators enjoy complete impunity.
Many Sindhis believe this is not random but a deliberate campaign by Pakistan’s military establishment to silence dissent and preserve the dominance of the central government, which is heavily influenced by the Punjabi elite. Some analysts have compared the military’s role in Sindh to that of a colonial ruler.
The rise in intolerance coincides with the leadership of General Syed Asim Munir, the current army chief. Since assuming office in 2022, Munir has been vocal about his religious convictions. Critics say his time in power has emboldened extremist groups and increased attacks on minorities. Under his watch, secular voices have been silenced while religious hardliners gain greater influence over policy and policing.
The ongoing crisis was recently highlighted at the World Sindhi Conference in Geneva. On 17 September, activists gathered at the Broken Chair Square near the United Nations headquarters to protest the persecution of Sindhis and Hindus in Pakistan. Speakers described decades of state neglect, mob violence and forced conversions. Protesters urged the international community to step in where the Pakistani state has failed.
Yet the situation continues to worsen. With every passing month, more Hindu families are choosing to leave Pakistan in search of safety. Those who remain live in fear. For Sindhis, the struggle is not only for rights but for survival as a people.
Pakistan’s seemingly inability to protect its minorities is not just a moral disaster. It is a sign of national decline. A country that suppresses its own diversity is choosing decay over development.