GENEVA – UN experts* today expressed grave concern over continuing reports of discrimination, violence, and legal restrictions targeting members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan, calling on authorities to ensure their protection and uphold the country’s international human rights obligations.
“We are deeply concerned by persistent reports that members of the Ahmadiyya community continue to face harassment, criminal prosecution, violence, and exclusion because of their religious identity,” the experts said.
“Every individual has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief. No one should be subjected to discrimination, intimidation, or violence, nor should they be prevented from peacefully manifesting their faith, or face discrimination with respect to any of their human rights.”
The experts noted with concern reports of on-going attacks on Ahmadi places of worship; desecration of graves; interference with peaceful religious observance, including in the context of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha; arrests and prosecutions related to religious practices or identity; and hate speech. These reports underscore the need for effective measures to prevent violence, ensure accountability, and protect vulnerable communities.
“The State has a responsibility to exercise due diligence to prevent human rights violations, investigate allegations promptly and impartially, prosecute those responsible in accordance with international standards, and provide effective remedies to victims,” the experts said.
“Pakistan must break the pattern of impunity that has allowed perpetrators of attacks and incitement to hatred and violence to act without restraint,” they said. “These attacks take place with tacit official complicity whilst the cycle of fear prevents people and institutions from upholding the rights and dignity of these minority groups.”
The recent events in relation to Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha demonstrate that Ahmadis in Pakistan continue to face a system of discrimination that extends beyond public life and into the privacy of their own homes. No individual should face arrest, detention, surveillance, or criminal prosecution simply for observing their religious festivals and practices, the experts said.
They called on the Government of Pakistan to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their religion or belief, enjoy equal protection under the law without discrimination. The experts also urged the Government to review legislation and administrative measures that may be inconsistent with its obligations under international human rights law, including the rights to freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, freedom of association and assembly, cultural rights, and equality before the law.
“Combating religious intolerance requires more than responding to individual incidents,” they said. “It requires sustained efforts to foster respect for diversity, counter incitement to hatred and violence, and create an environment in which all religious or belief communities can live in safety and dignity.”
The experts are in contact with the Government of Pakistan on this matter. They reaffirm their readiness to engage in constructive dialogue with authorities and other stakeholders in support of measures that promote inclusion, tolerance, dialogue and strengthen the protection of freedom of religion or belief and the rights of all religious minorities in the country.
The experts:
- Morris Tidball-Binz, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
- Nazila Ghanea, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
- Nicolas Levrat, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Leopoldo Maldonado Gutiérrez, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Gina Romero, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
- Matthew Gillett (Chair-Rapporteur), Ganna Yudkivska (Vice-Chair on Communications), Ethan Hee-Seok Shin (Vice-Chair on Follow-Up), Miriam Estrada-Castillo and Mumba Malila, Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.
Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/
UN Human Rights, country page – Pakistan
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