Reports
Pakistan’s Compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
- GHRD Team
- 29 July 2026
- CERD, ICERD, Pakistan
This shadow report examines Pakistan’s compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, following the 2024 Concluding Observations issued by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The report assesses Pakistan’s implementation of its obligations under ICERD, particularly in relation to communities facing discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin, descent, caste, and religious identity. It focuses on the situation of Sindhis, Hindus, Christians, Dalits, and Ahmadis, highlighting concerns around forced conversion, forced marriage, blasphemy accusations, caste-based segregation, mob violence, discrimination in education, and attacks on religious infrastructure.
The report further analyses Pakistan’s obligations under Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of ICERD, including the duty to eliminate racial discrimination, prohibit hate propaganda, ensure equal enjoyment of rights, provide effective remedies, and combat prejudice through education. It concludes with recommendations calling for anti-discrimination legislation, caste-based protections, reform of blasphemy laws, safeguards against forced conversion, accountability for mob violence and extrajudicial killings, and removal of hateful content from textbooks.
The report assesses Pakistan’s implementation of its obligations under ICERD, particularly in relation to communities facing discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin, descent, caste, and religious identity. It focuses on the situation of Sindhis, Hindus, Christians, Dalits, and Ahmadis, highlighting concerns around forced conversion, forced marriage, blasphemy accusations, caste-based segregation, mob violence, discrimination in education, and attacks on religious infrastructure.
The report further analyses Pakistan’s obligations under Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of ICERD, including the duty to eliminate racial discrimination, prohibit hate propaganda, ensure equal enjoyment of rights, provide effective remedies, and combat prejudice through education. It concludes with recommendations calling for anti-discrimination legislation, caste-based protections, reform of blasphemy laws, safeguards against forced conversion, accountability for mob violence and extrajudicial killings, and removal of hateful content from textbooks.
✨ AI summary
This shadow report evaluates Pakistan’s compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, building on CERD’s 2024 Concluding Observations. It examines how discrimination affects Sindhis, Hindus, Christians, Dalits, and Ahmadis through forced conversions, forced marriages, caste-based exclusion, bonded labour, blasphemy accusations, mob violence, attacks on places of worship, and unequal access to justice. The report argues that Pakistan’s legal and administrative systems often fail to protect minority communities and, in some cases, actively reinforce discrimination. It highlights cases including Notan Lal, Dr Shahnawaz Kunbar, Joseph Colony, Jaranwala, Sargodha, Ahmadi worship restrictions, attacks on Ahmadi mosques, and the Mubarak Sani case. The report recommends comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, caste-disaggregated data, reform or repeal of blasphemy laws, repeal of Ahmadi-specific laws, federal legislation against forced conversion, stronger protection from mob violence, accountability for state officials, action against organisations inciting discrimination, textbook reform, and procedural safeguards for minority defendants.
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