Role of the New Minorities’ Rights Commission |
Pakistan took a crucial legislative step toward strengthening protections for religious minorities with the passage of the National Commission for Minorities Rights Bill 2025, now officially law after presidential assent. This development, welcomed across many civil society circles, holds promise for institutionalizing minority rights and establishing a forum for grievances long ignored or sidelined in our national discourse.
But as the applause fades, a critical question remains: Will this Commission be truly effective, inclusive, and transformative especially for young leaders and women from minority communities?
For decades, religious minorities in Pakistan, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Baha’is, and others, have grappled with systemic discrimination: forced conversions, societal marginalization, restricted access to justice, under-representation in decision-making, and limited influence over policy that directly affects their lives. These are not abstract concerns but lived realities for thousands of families across the country.
The new Commission has the........