By Asim Shahzad
LAHORE – The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed grave concern over the prolonged delay in enacting the National Commission for Minorities Bill, which was approved by Parliament on 12 May 2025 and subsequently sent for presidential assent. Nearly five months later, there is still no clarity on why this crucial step has stalled.
Pakistan has long pledged to protect the rights of religious minorities under its Constitution and through international human rights commitments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its obligations under the European Union’s GSP+ framework. However, the absence of a statutory, independent, adequately resourced, and inclusive National Commission for Minorities continues to leave communities vulnerable to discrimination, persecution, and exclusion.
The bill, as approved, reflects a broad civil society consensus. It proposes a non-religiously specific commission mandated to safeguard the rights of all minorities, not only the interests of individual communities. Its membership, which includes representation from minority communities, national human rights institutions, and human rights experts, has been designed to ensure inclusivity. HRCP has urged the government to guarantee that all religious minorities and sects—especially those consistently marginalized and vulnerable to far-right violence—are meaningfully represented rather than tokenized.
HRCP Chairman Asad Iqbal Butt called on the government to act with transparency, disclose any recommendations received from the presidency, and avoid backtracking on provisions that have already secured consensus among civil society and minority representatives.
“The timely enactment and operationalization of this commission are essential to uphold Pakistan’s constitutional guarantees, rebuild trust between citizens and the state, and meet the country’s international human rights obligations,” Butt stressed. He warned that any further delays would worsen the climate of exclusion.
