Join our Whatsapp channel
KARACHI: Forced conversions, equitable and quality education, protection of minority communal property, amendment to Articles 41 and 91 of the Constitution and the prevention of misuse of blasphemy laws were just some of the demands raised during the Minority Rights March 2025 held on Sunday.
While reflecting on Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s historic speech to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947, in which the Father of the Nation insured non-Muslims that they were free to go to their temples, mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan, many participants wondered aloud if that was really the case in Pakistan of today.
ADVERTISEMENTContinue to video
Next
Stay
Playback speed
1x Normal
Quality
Auto
Back
720p
360p
240p
144p
Auto
Back
0.25x
0.5x
1x Normal
1.5x
2x
/
Skip
Ads by
Still, they were grateful that the Government of Pakistan could at least declare a ‘National Minority Day’ in 2009 to be observed annually on August 11 to commemorate Jinnah’s speech, a solemn reminder to each religious minority that equality yet remains an ideal in need of being actualised and embedded in our society.
“Even after 78 years of independence we don’t feel free because our young daughters are forcefully converted and married off, because our children don’t get equal chances and because we are looked down upon. We want freedom from discrimination and freedom from being called ‘Bhangi’. We are all equal citizens of this country. Mera Mazhab Merzi!” Said minority rights activist Luke Victor from the high but practical little stage atop an old Ford truck decorated with green and white balloons, which moved along with the March.
Minority Rights March participants spotlight forced conversions, demand equal opportunities
Nathan Danyal was called up to the stage to speak about problems faced by minority students in Pakistan. “One of our 11 demands is education. There are so many schools in this country, which were built by Christians, Parsis and Hindus such as the NJV School that was built by a Hindu, the missionary schools built my Christian missionaries and the BVS and Mama Parsi Schools built by Parsis. After 1947, these schools opened their doors for Muslim students but how many minority students study there today?” The young man questioned, while raising a demand for admissions in these schools for at least 10 per cent minority students from disadvantaged grou--ps on scholarships.
Pastor Naomi Bashir highlighted the extreme shortage of nurses in the country. “There is a need for some nine lac nurses here. Kindly increase their production,” she pointed out, adding that around 70 per cent of nurses here have come through the private sector but the government sector is way behind here. “In the government sector we have nurses stuck in grade 17 for years. Please promote them as it is their right. They deserve respect, too.”
Safina Gill spoke about job discrimination and the quota system. She said that menial jobs such as those of sanitation workers are reserved for non-Muslims. “Even educated non-Muslims are offered sanitation worker jobs through newspaper advertisements,” she said. She also reminded that in 2009, the late Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti had introduced a five per cent job quota for minorities, which gradually dropped. “The terms and conditions to meet a job criteria are made extra tough for non-Muslims even if they are eligible. We need new policies to address such issues,” she said.
Discrimination in the Constitution of Pakistan was also highlighted on the occasion. It was pointed out that Articles 40 and 91 prevent non-Muslims from taking over the offices of president and prime minister in Pakistan. Election rules here also discriminate. Therefore, a minority seats quota was demanded for assemblies. It was also suggested that non-Muslims be given dual vote rights to vote for non-Muslims as well as from other parties.
Minority rights activist Faqir Shiva Kutchhi regretted how minor non-Muslim girls are forcefully converted to Islam and married despite laws such as the Child Marriage Restraint Act in place. “The Act seems to apply to only minor Muslim girls, not non-Muslim girls,” he said. “We have B-Forms to prove the abducted children’s ages but no one listens. No one cares.” Representing the Sikh community, Sardar Ram Singh, sporting a bright green turban, said that you don’t make sons of the soil sanitation workers. “Our ancestors set up educational institutions of high repute in Pakistan. We love Pakistan too. It is also our homeland. Stop forced conversions, salvage our places of worship, listen to us, as we are also one of you,” he urged.
While speaking to Dawn, human rights activist and classical dancer Sheema Kermani said that so far they have held three Minority Rights Marches, including the current one, and they have all been successful in bringing the cause of the religious minorities of Pakistan to the forefront. “The very important issue of forced conversions, discrimination on the basis of religion and spreading hatred against minority religions must end if we want to make a just and equal society,” she said.
Sheema also read a poem by Anwer Jafri titled ‘Hum Rokein Ge’ to which she also danced.
Meanwhile, members of the Khawaja Sira community presented devotional songs.
Popular Hindu folksinger Shamu Bai also sang while a dance group from Umerkot performed.
11 basic demands
The Minority Rights March participants walked from outside the YMCA ground to the Sindh Assembly Building while presenting 11 basic demands to the people’s court of cognizance.
These included those mentioned already as well as issues such as reforms in public and private sector education, curricula to eliminate all content fostering discriminatory attitudes or hate speech, and inculcate respect for minorities, promote pluralism, peace, harmony, ethics and acceptance of diversity; return, repair, renovate and restore all seized or desecrated property of non-Muslims; amend the Constitution to delete the word ‘non-Muslim’ and replace it with language acknowledging respective religious identities while also amend Articles 41 and 91 of the Constitution; take concrete measures, including but not limited to formation of a high powered judicial commission to investigate and curb cases of misuse of blasphemy laws; and promote a culture of inclusiveness by celebrating religious festivals of minorities at the national level while ensuring availability of holidays to employees and students during such religious festivals in both public and private sectors.
Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2025