Fundamentalism: Challenges and Remedies

Fundamentalism and its historical attitude towards non-Muslim communities in Pakistan have resulted in massacres of religious minorities in Pakistan. The prevailing situation has opened up a new Pandoras box with new challenges. The present work describes Pakistan’s religious minorities, and highlights different dimensions of the religious fundamentalism that had been existed through ages and manifested manifold right from 1947 till date.

Religious intolerance and discrimination on the basis of religion remain as one of the root causes of a number of conflicts, attacks and ongoing violence against in minoriites in Pakistan. Furthermore, it is often a major motivation for attacks by extremists against the minority religion in Pakistan. When religious discrimination is inscribed in laws and imbedded in societal structures, this often leads to victimization of minorities as well as killings and assassinations. The recent episodes of violence against innocent Christians in Gojra are the continuation of such attitude. This report draws the attention of to this issue.
The point of concern is not only the legal system that is affecting the social, political and economic life of the minorities but the rise in harassment and attacks against all religious minorities, including Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and Ahmedis, besides the Shia sect within the Muslim Community. Such scenario has lead to a situation where in recent time; issues like Gojra incidents were inevitable.
The successive governments right from the very inception of Pakistan despite of announcing their commitment to improve ‘laws detrimental to religious harmony have failed to address the core issue. From creation of Pakistan till Zia’s military rule - the situation of religious minorities in Pakistan underwent many complex situations. The country’s blasphemy laws introduced by military dictator Ziaul Haq and rise in Jihadi culture were an attempt to use Islam to promote popular appeal for his regime. It contributed nothing good but flared up attacks on religious minorities which had been further exacerbated by Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and had fostered a climate of religiously-motivated violence and persecution.

Almost half of Pakistan’s history as a modern nation has to face military dictatorships. In analyzing the status of Pakistan’s religious minorities, this report details the challenges they face as citizens. The role of the military, the political use of religion by governments, religious fundamentalism and hostilities against minorities in media and a weak civil society, all pose enormous challenges to minorities in Pakistan.


Their basic human rights violations directly or indirectly over the years, provoked severe repression. At the same time, non-Muslim Pakistani have continued to be the victims of particularly harsh religious laws. Successive constitutional amendments and other legislation – particularly during the Zia ul-Haq times, continued to violate their rights as citizens.

The Report Concludes that even after decades of creation of Pakistan minorities in Pakistan continue to be victims of fundamentalism and rise in sectarian violence by extremist groups. There have been frequent clashes between non-Muslim and Muslim communities across the country. This situation will not only further inflame the hatred among the religious minorities but would lead threaten the survival of the very existence of Pakistan.