Since 2019, the NCHR has been without a mandate for a second four-year term and lacked newly appointed commissioners, making it effectively nonfunctional throughout the year. Civil society members reported authorities took no action to prevent attacks on Ahmadi mosques or punish assailants who demolished, damaged, forcibly occupied, or set fire to Ahmadi mosques. The court may suspend or increase the sentence given by a criminal court in these cases. The incident was the first attack on a Hindu temple in Tharparkar in more than 30 years. During the year, courts overturned some blasphemy convictions upon appeal and acquitted others after the accused had spent years in prison. At least three top Twitter trends praised the killer and called him the savior and pride of Pakistan. According to 2017 census total house hold in Pakistan are 32205111. On January 26, a local court sentenced four young boys, who had confessed to vandalizing a Hindu temple in Sindhs Tharparkar district, to a juvenile center in Hyderabad. Shias in Pakistan are geographically spread across the. A June 2020 online survey by the Netherlands-based Gamaan Group found 37% of Iranians identifying as Muslims of which 32% are Shia Islam, 5% Sunni Islam and 3% Shia . While schools were required to teach Islamic studies and the Quran to Muslim students, sources reported many non-Muslim students were also required to participate because their schools did not offer parallel courses in their own religious beliefs or ethics. Sunnis are generally believed to be 80-85 percent of the Muslim population, and Shia Muslims, including Hazara, Ismaili, and Bohra (a branch of Ismaili), are generally believed to make up 15-20 percent. Then, in the 2018 election, ASWJ and TLP were allowed to run in the election, winning seats in parliament. Ahmadi community leaders said they saw the requirement to designate Mohammed as last of the prophets as directly targeting them. Religious minority community members also stated the government was inconsistent in safeguarding against societal discrimination and neglect, and that official discrimination against Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and Ahmadi Muslims persisted to varying degrees, with Ahmadi Muslims experiencing the worst treatment. These 142 individuals included both Shia and Sunni clerics who in the past had given controversial statements leading to sectarian tensions. Major cities - population 16.459 million Karachi, 13.095 million Lahore, 3.542 million Faisalabad, 2.281 million Rawalpindi, 2.290 million Gujranwala, 1.164 million ISLAMABAD (capital) (2021) Azerbaijan has the second highest Shia Muslim population in the world accounting for 83.6% of the total population while the sect accounts for 85% of the Muslim population in the country. Ahmadiyya Muslim community leaders continued to report they were affected by discriminatory and ambiguous legislation and court judgments that denied them basic rights, including a 2018 Islamabad High Court judgment that some government agencies continued to use to deny national identification cards to Ahmadi Muslims. (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics) However, according to data from the 2017 Census that was made unofficially available to a lawmaker, the Hindu population may have decreased by 0.19% from 1998. There is a small myth that Christianity has been existent in Pakistan ever since a few decades after the crucifixion of Jesus . Updated: September 04, 2020 06:14 AM GMT. They said Christians had difficulty finding jobs other than those involving menial labor, with some advertisements for menial jobs specifying they were open only to Christian applicants. However, the vehement sectarian resurgence began in 2017 when the Pakistani government began making concessions to the extremist Sunni Muslim groups. The statement also called on the government to reform its blasphemy laws and court system and to ensure that the suspect in Naseems killing be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. . Representatives of religious minorities said a glass ceiling continued to prevent their promotion to senior government positions, but one NGO also stated that due to insufficient higher education opportunities compared to the majority religious community, few religious minorities met the qualifications to apply for these positions. On December 30, a mob estimated at 1,000 people incited by a cleric attacked an historic Hindu temple site in Karak District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, destroying the shrine of Hindu saint Shri Paramhans Jee Maharaj and an adjacent building under construction. Version 3.0 . According to technology companies and religious minority activists, the definition of objectionable content in the draft law was vague and subject to government interpretation. Pakistan: The cost of being Shia | South Asia Monitor The Sunnis, on the other hand, nurse the fear that they have decisively lost power and things . Smaller minorities are collectively labelled as 'other'. In February, the National Assembly introduced a draft law requiring internet and technology companies to open offices in Islamabad, locate their servers within the country, and remove objectionable internet content within a specified timeframe. The NCHR is also mandated to monitor the governments implementation of human rights and review and propose legislation. The penal code does not explicitly criminalize apostasy, but renouncing Islam is widely considered by clerics to be a form of blasphemy, which can carry the death penalty. 2. The Sindh provincial government has legislation allowing couples to seek divorce and granting Hindu women the right to remarry six months after a divorce or a spouses death. Some activists reported receiving death threats because of their work. Top Countries by Muslim population | Muslim population in World 2022 Throughout the year, unidentified individuals targeted and killed Shia Muslims, including ethnic Hazaras, and Ahmadi Muslims in attacks believed to be religiously motivated. PDF Estimated Percentage Range of Shia by Country - Pew Research Center To prevent a slide back into violence, Islamabad should ensure those inciting or perpetrating violent acts are prosecuted while denying hardliners the civic space to propagate their hatred. Students who identify themselves as Muslims must declare in writing they believe Mohammed is the final prophet. Unknown assailants shot a Peshawar trader, also an Ahmadiyya community member, near his business on August 12. Phillip Smyth. According to civil society reports, there were many individuals imprisoned on blasphemy charges, at least 35 of whom had received death sentences, as compared with 82 individuals imprisoned on blasphemy charges and 29 who received death sentences in 2019. Some religious minority leaders stated the system of selecting minority parliamentarians through the internal deliberations of mainstream parties resulted in the appointment of party stalwarts or those who could afford to buy the seats, rather than legislators who genuinely represented minority communities. Islamic and minority religious leaders endorsed the code. Under the 2016 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony is responsible for reviewing internet traffic and reporting blasphemous or offensive content to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority for possible removal or to the Federal Investigative Agency for possible criminal prosecution. On January 26, for example, a local court sentenced four boys for vandalizing a Hindu temple in Sindhs Tharparkar District, the first attack on a Hindu temple in that area in more than 30 years; minority lawmakers and civil society activists reacted strongly to the attack. Pakistani Shias live in terror as sectarian violence increases Embassy officers continued to engage civil society leaders, local religious leaders, religious minority representatives, and legal experts in discussing ways to combat intolerance and promote interfaith cooperation to increase religious freedom. Qatar. The charges carry up to three years imprisonment and a fine. The militants were also convicted for running an al-Qaida media cell in Gujranwala. Provinces of Pakistan Population Detail Information About Provinces Wise Population Civil society and legal sources said judges were generally hesitant to decide blasphemy cases due to fear of violent retribution. On October 20, HRCP reported that an Ismaili Muslim mosque in Ghizer was attacked by unknown assailants, who opened fire on the building. On October 6, the Lahore High Court acquitted Sawan Masih, a Christian man sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2014, but Masih continued to face death threats and had to go into hiding with his family. According to her parents, the girl had been abducted and raped after being forcibly converted to Islam in Karachi. The name also comes from one of the names of Allah, Al-Wahab, which means the all-giver.. Senior Department of State officials, including the Office of International Religious Freedoms Special Advisor for Religious Minorities, the Charge dAffaires, consuls general, and other embassy officers met with government officials and senior advisors to the Prime Minister, including the Minister for Human Rights, and officials from the Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, and Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony to discuss blasphemy law reform; laws concerning Ahmadi Muslims; the need to better protect members of religious minority communities; sectarian relations; and religious respect. Ahmadiyya leaders stated the ambiguous wording of the legal provision forbidding Ahmadis from directly or indirectly identifying themselves as Muslims enabled officials to bring charges against members of the community for using the standard Islamic greeting or for naming their children Mohammed. Pakistan Population (2023) - Worldometer Speaker of the Punjab Provincial Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) party leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi made numerous statements denouncing Ahmadis and any effort to undermine the status of Mohammed as Islams final prophet. The events were often covered by English and local-language media and featured anti-Ahmadiyya rhetoric which Ahmadiyya community representatives said could incite violence against Ahmadis. . On January 22, the Hyderabad center hosted an event on educational institutions roles in promoting tolerance and creating peaceful communities. The killings took place during protests sparked by twin suicide bombings outside two churches there. While the Ministry of Law and Justice was officially responsible for ensuring the legal rights of all citizens, in practice, the Ministry for Human Rights continued to assume primary responsibility for the protection of the rights of religious minorities. Following the killing of U.S. citizen Tahir Naseem in July, JUI-F leader Mufti Kifayatullah celebrated the accused killer for his act of justice. Some political figures, including the ruling PTI Partys Sindh provincial president Haleem Adil Sheikh, who is also a member of the Sindh Provincial Assembly, changed their social media profile pictures to that of Naseems killer. NGOs lobbying for amendments to permit divorce in a wider range of circumstances praised the Ministry of Human Rights efforts to consult with stakeholders and the ministrys overall efforts to accelerate progress on the bill. Population of Pakistan Total Population of Provinces Wise There were reported cases of government intervention and assistance from courts and law enforcement in situations of attempted kidnapping and forced conversion, although enforcement action against alleged perpetrators was rare. Pakistan's Human Rights Commission reported more than 200 terrorist attacks resulted in nearly 700 Shia deaths and over 1,000 Shia injuries in 2013. the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom also reported over 600 Shias were killed for their faith between 1999 and 2003. According to a 2019 report by Pakistan's National Commission for Human Rights, an independent watchdog, at least 509 Hazara have been murdered for their faith since 2013. Bangladesh with a 153 million Muslim population is in 4th place followed by Nigeria (10 million) in the fifth spot. At years end, she and her alleged husband had not appeared in court in Karachi, despite multiple court orders to do so. Although a sizeable. Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, Office of the U.S. The victims, burned to death by an angry mob, were Babar Noman and Hafiz Naeem. According to the governments immigration website, the Ministry of Interior could grant visas to foreign missionaries invited by organizations registered in the country. In July, residents in the Sheikpura District of Punjab damaged Ahmadi gravestones. [see also: Population country ranks ] Nationality: In Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provinces, private schools are also required to teach Islamic studies and the Quran to Muslim students. Visiting U.S. government officials met with religious minority community representatives, parliamentarians, human rights activists, and members of the federal cabinet to highlight concerns regarding the treatment of religious minority communities, the application of blasphemy laws, and other forms of discrimination on the basis of religion. Shia majority reduced to minority in Gilgit Baltistan: Barrister Hamid On October 7, Dr. Qibla Ayaz, then chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, inaugurated a national code of conduct to promote interreligious harmony in the face of increased sectarian violence and mistreatment of religious minorities. That same day, a Punjab Provincial Assembly lawmaker from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Mohammed Ilyas Chinyoti, participated in an international Khatm-e-Nabuwat conference in the Chanab Nagar area of Punjab near the Ahmadiyya Muslim communitys headquarters. This was part of an increase in anti-Shia activity that month nationwide that included the shooting of a prominent Shia religious leader in Punjabs Mandi Bahauddin District and the shooting of a Shia employee of the National Bank of Pakistan in Islamabad. In all these cases, judges repeatedly delayed hearings, adjourned hearings without hearing arguments, or sent appeals to other judicial benches. Sectarian persecution of Shia Muslims has been a long-running fracture in Pakistan, exacerbated by the proxy wars fought on Pakistan soil by Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia and Shia-majority Iran, as well as the US war on terror. Non-Muslims are required to have the head of their local religious communities verify their religious affiliation. In a September editorial, the largest Urdu daily, Nawa-i-Waqt, described the 1974 legislation declaring Ahmadis officially non-Muslim as a historic day in the countrys history. Although there were no official obstacles to the advancement of minority religious group members in the military, they said that in practice, non-Muslims rarely rose above the rank of colonel and were not assigned to senior positions. On July 22, the Punjab Provincial Assembly passed the Protection of Foundation of Islam Bill, which prohibits the printing and publication of objectionable material in the province. In May, the New York Times reported the issue, which was subsequently raised by international human rights NGOs. On October 13, according to local media reports, Reeta Kumari, a pregnant Dalit Hindu woman, told the Sindh High Court in Sukkur that she had been abducted by a Muslim man, Rafique Domki, in Islamkot. If Pakistan is unwilling to protect its Shia citizens, they may look to Pakistan 2020 population is estimated at 220,892,340 people at mid year according to UN data. Both passed the recruitment test and had successful interviews but were denied appointment by the assistant manager. The text messages stated, Sharing of blasphemy, pornography, terrorism, and other unlawful content on social media and the internet is illegal. Thousands of anti-Shia protesters recently gathered in the city of Karachi, with many openly showing ties to Sunni extremist groups like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Sipah-e-Sahaba, which has documented links to the killing of hundreds of Shia Muslims over the past few years. On October 9, a Hindu teacher was attacked by a Muslim man with an axe on her way to her school in Mithi, Sindh. The government said Ahmadis could qualify for admission if they did not claim to be Muslims. According to the SATP, at least 10 persons were killed and three injured in 10 incidents of sectarian violence by extremist groups during the year. Pakistan Population 1950-2023 | MacroTrends In October, the Lahore High Court acquitted a Christian of blasphemy, the first such ruling since 2018. Sunnis represent approximately 75 percent of this population and Shias 20 . The requirement that Muslim elected officials swear an oath affirming their belief that Mohammed is the final prophet of Islam continued to discourage Ahmadi Muslims from seeking public office. Christian activists also stated young women from their communities were vulnerable to forced conversions. Pakistan's Perpetual Shia Shame - SOUTH ASIAN TRIBUNE The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and maintains two reservations: first, that ICCPR Article 3 regarding equal rights of men and women would be applied as to be in conformity with Personal Law of the citizens and Qanoon-e-Shahadat Order, 1984 (Law of Evidence), under which the in-court testimony of men in certain civil matters pertaining to contracts and financial obligations is given greater weight than that of women; and second, that ICCPR Article 25, on the equal right for citizens to take part in public service, would be subject to articles of the constitution mandating that the President and Prime Minister be Muslims. According to the NGOs Center for Legal Aid, Assistance, and Settlement (CLAAS) and the Pakistan Center for Law and Justice, there were also reports of religious minority women being physically attacked by men. Blasphemy is a capital offence in Pakistan and even unsubstantiated allegations can lead to mob violence and lynchings against the accused. Sunni groups held three large rallies in Karachi in September, with speakers warning Shia Muslims of dire consequences, including beheadings, if they continued to blaspheme against the Prophet Mohammeds companions. Government officials condemned the incident, suspended more than 100 police officials for failure to stop the mob, and ordered the temple rebuilt. The FSCs review power applies whether the cases involve Muslims or non-Muslims. The high circulation daily Jang also published a lengthy editorial on the struggle to declare Ahmadis as non-Muslims in a special magazine edition. Hardcore Sunni groups publicly accused Shia Muslims of orchestrating the attack. World Shia Muslims Population - Home In 2017, TLP was responsible for forcing a law minister to quit over a perceived softening in the blasphemy laws. The CLAAS legal team filed a contempt of court application, but the Lahore High Court dismissed the plea. ASWJ had previously been banned in Pakistan under the Anti-Terrorism Act before it was lifted in 2018 but is still globally considered a terrorist organisation. There were a series of additional violent incidents targeting Ahmadis following the Tahir Naseem killing in a Peshawar courtroom. I am being targeted because I am from a Shia religious minority. How Pak altered demography of occupied Gilgit- Baltistan Courts issued two new death sentences for blasphemy and sentenced another individual to five years imprisonment. The constitution states no person shall be required to take part in any religious ceremony or attend religious worship relating to a religion other than the persons own. In May 2000, the Shia Muslims based in the Gilgit district of the then Northern Areas began to agitate against the recently changed curriculum of government schools in the region. Sunni groups such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba,. There continued to be reports of attacks on holy places, cemeteries, and religious symbols of Hindu, Christian, and Ahmadiyya minorities. The population of Pakistan in 2020 was 227,196,741, a 1.75% increase from 2019. UAE: Arbitrary Targeting of Pakistani Shia Residents Pakistan: Rampant Killings of Shia by Extremists Civil society representatives said the bill targets Ahmadis, who do not have representation on the ulema board and who are barred by the constitution and the penal code from identifying as Muslims. 2.4.1 The Shia Muslim population is estimated to be between 20 and 40 million (in . In some schools, however, non-Muslim students may study ethics. Police arrested more than 45 JUI-F followers and clerics involved in the destruction. On October 10, 1993, the then Central government had announced elected . She was taken to Dera Ghazi Khan, in Punjab, to avoid Sindh provincial law, which bans marriage of girls younger than 18. Groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United States and other governments, such as ISIS, also committed violent acts. Ayaz also spoke at a seminar on interfaith harmony at the cultural center at the National Library of Pakistan in Islamabad. The government continued its warnings against blasphemy and other illegal content on social media through periodic print advertisements and text messages sent by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA). Other blasphemy cases continued without resolution. Print and broadcast media outlets continued to publish and broadcast anti-Ahmadi rhetoric. Department of State programs, including outreach activities such as speakers and workshops, helped to promote peacebuilding among religious and community leaders. Two days later, the 21-year-old student found himself the subject of a police report, accused of violating Pakistans draconian laws on blasphemy. 2020, in July, 2020, Pakistani police arrested three LeJ operatives who were allegedly planning to carry out an attack in . During his February visit to Karachi, the Department of State Special Adviser for Religious Minorities told students and faculty at Karachi Universitys Department of Islamic Studies, An inclusive society creates more space for trade and prosperity. The audience applauded his comments about the protection of religious freedom for Muslims in the United States. The girl remained in a government shelter for several months before returning to her parents. According to eyewitnesses, police officials in at least four police vans cordoned off the area and arrested Soomro, who initially resisted. Religious freedom activists and civil society groups said the proposal was toothless and raised concerns regarding the ministrys lack of public consultation, the limited powers of the proposed body, and the fact that Ahmadi Muslims were excluded. The protesters said that when they opposed the illegal evictions of villagers, they were charged in fake cases by revenue officials. Shias: Heretics in a Sunni Pakistan - Modern Diplomacy Similar to the previous year, some Sikh and Hindu places of worship reopened during the year. By law, madrassahs are prohibited from teaching or encouraging sectarian or religious hatred or violence. Non-Muslims may not appear before the FSC. The economy will contract by 1.3 percent in the 2020 fiscal year because of the pandemic, the World Bank predicts. The attackers relationship to organized terrorist groups was often unclear. Salman Khan, the head of the Muslim family, remained at large. Shia Population - Worldmapper Religion in Pakistan - Wikipedia The Shia Muslim population in Pakistan is estimated to be between five and 20 per cent which is not considerable given that over 95 per cent of Pakistan's population are Muslims . 163,601,094. Most Shias (between 68% and 80%) live in just four countries: Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq. The anti-Shia Muslim campaign first began gathering pace on social media in September, demanding that Shia Muslims were declared heretics. 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Pakistan, An official website of the United States Government. According to current population projections, Pakistan will reach its peak population in 2092 of 404.68 million people. Download Historical Data Save as Image From: To: Zoom: Current Historical U.N. At the forefront of anti-Shia campaign in Pakistan are two hardline Sunni Muslim groups, Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat (ASWJ) and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). Answer (1 of 19): The country Iran has the largest population of Shia. Estimates of the Zikri Muslim community, located in Balochistan, range between 500,000 and 800,000 individuals. Following petitions, the court reversed its decision and declared the marriage illegal under the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act and ordered the girl placed in a shelter after she refused to return to her parents. The Sindh Hindu Marriage Act also applies to Sikh marriages. Leh's demand for UT status started in 1947 as the old statements of the former parliamentarian and religious leader, Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, indicate. Edit: August and September of 2020 has seen a renewed attack on Shia Muslims within Pakistan. They represent about 21 per cent of the total Muslim population, the highest number in a country after Iran.
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