LAHORE: Religious minority rights in Punjab remained fragile in 2025, despite increased government spending, new welfare schemes, and legal reforms, human rights groups said, warning that official promises have yet to translate into real protection on the ground.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) reported continued cases of forced religious conversions, attacks on places of worship, and repeated failures by law enforcement agencies to protect minority communities. Rights activists said these incidents expose a clear gap between policy announcements and everyday realities faced by minorities.
Over the past year, the Punjab government expanded the budget for minority affairs and approved development funds to repair churches, temples, and gurdwaras. Minority religious festivals were also officially celebrated in several districts. In education, the government introduced 5,000 scholarships for minority students, reserved quotas in higher education and government jobs, and launched a special online portal to monitor implementation. Minority students were also offered state-funded preparation for CSS examinations.
Punjab’s Minister for Human Rights and Minority Affairs, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, said welfare efforts were strengthened through the Minority Support Card launched in 2025. Under the scheme, 50,000 low-income minority families received Rs10,500 every three months, along with Rs15,000 on religious festivals. He added that the number of beneficiary families would double in 2026. On the legal side, progress was made toward implementing the Hindu Marriage Act 2017, following the approval of the Sikh Marriage Act in 2024.
However, HRCP Secretary General Harris Khalique stressed that welfare initiatives alone cannot ensure equal citizenship. He said the true measure of state commitment lies in preventing abuse, prosecuting offenders, and guaranteeing constitutional rights without discrimination. “Symbolic steps cannot replace real protection,” he noted.
Concerns were also raised by civil society over the safety of sanitary workers, many of whom belong to minority communities. The deaths of four workers from toxic gas while cleaning sewers in Lahore and Gujranwala sparked criticism over the lack of safety equipment and proper machinery.
Centre for Social Justice Executive Director Peter Jacob called for long-term economic and social safeguards for minorities, including stricter action against child marriages and better performance of Mithaq (Covenant) Centres. Minority rights lawyer Samuel Pyara added that financial aid without education reform, tolerance in curricula, and minority participation in policymaking would fail to restore trust.
Human rights organisations have urged the Punjab government to shift its focus in 2026 from charity based measures to strong legal protection, independent complaint mechanisms, and meaningful representation of minority communities. They said transparent and consistent implementation, not announcements alone, will determine whether minority rights truly improve.
