Activists Urge Pakistan to Criminalise Coerced Religious Switching

Islamabad, August 12 – In a coordinated demonstration on National Minority Day, prominent rights activist Sheema Kermani, pastor Gazala Shafique, and other community leaders gathered in Karachi to press the government for stronger protection against forced religious conversion. The protestors presented an 11‑point charter that calls for the criminalisation of any attempt to compel a person to change faith, tighter enforcement of anti‑blasphemy statutes, and safeguards for minority children in mixed‑faith families. They also sought a 10 percent reservation for minorities in all levels of employment, the abolition of occupational segregation, and the preservation of minority worship sites. The charter further demands the digitisation of minority‑related cases, the establishment of both national and provincial minority commissions, and the overhaul of school curricula to remove hate‑filled narratives. By replacing the blanket term “non‑Muslim” with precise religious identifiers in the constitution, activists argue that Pakistan can move closer to the inclusive vision articulated by its founding leaders.