PREDICAMENT OF THE MINORITIES IN PAKISTAN: A PASSAGE TO BIFURCATION

Abstract

Being a Muslim majority state, Pakistan, at the eve of its independence decided to adopt a policy of peaceful cohabitation with less-numbered minorities. By realizing the importance of peaceful co-existence, the founder of nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, during his first speech to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was looking for a state based on modern democracy with equal rights to all the citizens. However, after his early demise, with the adoption of unfamiliar ideologies and to manoeuvring for a prolong rule by the elites, the prescribed status of minorities in the light of Islamic teachings became difficult to achieve in Pakistani society. With the passage to time minorities could not retain their pervious numbers and currently it reduced to approximately 4 per cent of its total population. In spite of Constitutional protections, the situation is not improving and discrimination, persecution, mob violence, controversial blasphemy laws, forced conversions and forced marriages are the worst tools being used by a certain class to achieve their objectives. This paper is an attempt to find out the answer that why International Human Rights Commission for minorities have put Pakistan among those top ten countries which are not favourable for the minorities. It will also try to pinpoint the reasons behind this utter persecution of minorities in Pakistan.