Recent years have seen a rise of persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan.
Ranging from target killings, bombings, assassinations of members of the
community, as well as those defending them, to attacks on places of worship, an
intensification of the violence is clearly seen to be on the rise. Incidents of violence
and their impunity are not just forms of physical violence, but often also play the
role of instruments of oppression.
6 These are also a symptom of deep-rooted and
entrenched patterns of discrimination and marginalization of religious minority
communities in Pakistani society.
These patterns are the direct result of a slow, steady and very deliberate politically
motivated movement by the State over the years to dis-empower non-Muslim
minorities in Pakistan.
7 This has been achieved through the ‘Islamisation’ of State
and society and the perpetuation of the narrative of “Muslims” vs. “Non-Muslims”
i.e. “us vs. them”. A series of social, administrative, legal and political manoeuvres
were employed, resulting in negatively impacting societal behaviours and attitudes
towards religious minorities, disenfranchising them and effectively ostracizing the
non-Muslim communities, leading to a scenario where their existence and lives are
insecure and largely unprotected, and negatively impacting the quality of their daily
lives.
http://co.lao.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Prioritizing-Needs-September-15-2016.pdf
