CAN the state ever turn the dream of communal harmony into reality? A slew of injustices torment Pakistan`s religious communities; acceptance and empathy have run out, and extremism has found space. The latest case of savage vigilantism saw a 46-year-old Ahmadi man lynched by, according to police, TLP supporters who stormed the community`s place of worship in Karachi`s Saddar area. The far-right political outfit, 400 of whose supporters were outside the premises, has denied the allegation. The gory episode has been condemned by the HRCP as a `failure of law and order`. Meanwhile, figures in The Human Rights Observer report from the Centre for Social Justice expose a worrying rise in the misuse of blasphemy laws, forced conversions and bigotry against minorities 344 blasphemy cases were registered in 2024; 70pc of the accused were Muslims and 14pc Ahmadis. Forced conversions are also at a shocking level between 2021 and 2024, 421 cases were recorded, involving 282 Hindu girls and 137 Christians; 71pc of the victims were minors. Despite laws being flouted, the government and the criminal justice system hesitate to take a firm position for fear of inciting right-wing elements.

Vile discriminatory practices permeate every sphere of life, even unlikely spaces. For instance, the prejudiced prison policies that deprive minority inmates of their remission rights are rarely addressed. The report states that `the provinces were sufficiently empowered to make their rules ... there is no excuse for continued discriminatory attitudes towards minority prisoners`. While Sindh is the only province that has revised archaic laws with the Sindh Prisons and Corrections Services Act, 2019, the other three provinces are still governed bythe Prisons Act, 1894, the Prisoners Act, 1900, and the Prisons Rules, 1978. Hence, the mix of systemic bias and colonial laws strips poor non-Muslim prisoners of rights such as legal aid, keeping them in the dark about remission rules and provisions for formal and religious education. Pakistan has failed its marginalised sections for too long. International treaties, such as the ICCPR, ratified in 2010, which stipulates that `all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect` must be upheld through an empowered National Commission for Minorities Rights to connect law enforcement with minority citizens before the situation worsens. Prisoners should not be deprived of their dignity.