By Dr. Emanuel Adil Ghouri
There is no doubt that religious intolerance is growing rapidly in Pakistan. For a long time, the role of NGOs—despite receiving millions of dollars from the UN, the European Union, and the United States in the name of interfaith harmony—has remained negligible. The main reason is that holding conferences with select individuals in five‑star hotels and issuing statements from drawing rooms does not bring tangible change. To influence public attitudes, it is necessary to reach the people directly and organize seminars with Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and Sikh leaders at the Union Council, Tehsil, and District levels. A message of religious tolerance should be delivered from the mosque, temple, church, and gurdwara.
Religious fanaticism has grown rapidly within Pakistan in recent years. The role of religious parties now exceeds that of political parties, as they use the religion card to increase their vote bank. Despite being brought to power, political parties remain hostage to religious groups. A major example is that before the Jaranwala tragedy, thirteen major incidents of religious terrorism occurred between 1997 and 2016.
In these incidents, not only were Christian properties destroyed, but many people were burned alive. Yet, despite government promises, no exemplary punishment was ever given to those involved. As in previous incidents, provocative messages were broadcast from mosque loudspeakers. As usual, all the destruction occurred in the presence of the police, yet no DPO or police officer was suspended. The blasphemy law that often fuels these incidents is not new.
Before the formation of Pakistan, when Muslims lived in a united India alongside many other communities, a blasphemy law already existed. It was enacted by the British government in 1927 to protect all religions from blasphemy. Despite the region’s diversity, only five cases were registered between 1860 and 1947.
After the establishment of Pakistan—an Islamic state where religion was supposedly in safer hands—1,500 cases were registered between 1947 and 2021. Their numbers are now increasing dramatically. From May to July 2023, fifty‑seven cases were registered. In August alone, three cases were registered in a single city, Sargodha. Forty people arrested under blasphemy charges have been sentenced to death and are awaiting appeals in various jails.
Apart from Pakistan, this law exists in Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Brunei, but the number of cases there remains limited due to its more controlled application.
Indonesia is the second‑largest country in terms of using this law, yet its numbers are far lower than Pakistan’s. From 2005 to 2015, only fifty‑seven cases were recorded in eleven years. This is because there is rule of law there, while here the rule of the mob prevails.
The Jaranwala 2023 incident is a clear example of how helpless the government is in the face of religious fanatics. The local police and administration bear responsibility for the disaster. The case was registered at 8 a.m., and the police knew tensions would escalate. Soon after, provocative announcements were made from mosques. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Christian properties were burned in different areas, yet the frightened police refrained from taking action, proving that extremists are more powerful than law enforcement.
After any unusual incident, the government typically suspends the Deputy Commissioner and the DPO, but nothing of the sort happened here because the victims were minorities. The burning of twenty‑four churches and forty houses in a single day is part of Pakistan’s ongoing religious terrorism. Despite police registration of cases against those involved, threatening messages from a religious party to minorities on social media reflect growing extremism and the government’s weakness.
A few years ago, when a terrorist attack occurred in a mosque in New Zealand, the Prime Minister of New Zealand was present on the scene to share the grief of the victims. Here, the Prime Minister issued only a statement of condemnation from his office. The significance of minorities is such that even after twenty‑four churches were burned, leaders did not consider it their responsibility to visit the affected communities. Political leaders express regret and solidarity with minorities from their drawing rooms, but they do not dare to stand with them in person.
If the government and political parties truly oppose religious terrorism against minorities, they must approve protective legislation in consultation with minority political, social, and religious leaders.
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