Freedom of religion in Pakistan is guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan for individuals of various religions and religious sects.
The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is the constitutional document of Bangladesh. It was adopted on 16 December 1972. It provides the framework of the Bangladeshi republic with a parliamentary government, fundamental human rights and freedoms, an independent judiciary, democratic local government and a national bureaucracy. The constitution includes references to socialism, Islam, secular democracy and the Bengali language. It commits Bangladesh to “contribute to international peace and co-operation in keeping with the progressive aspirations of mankind”. The constitution has several controversial elements like Article 70.
Sikhism in the area of present-day Pakistan has an extensive heritage and history, although Sikhs form a small community in Pakistan today. Most Sikhs live in the province of Punjab, a part of the larger Punjab region where the religion originated in the Middle Ages, and Peshawar in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Sahib Ji, the founder of Sikhism, is located in the Punjab province.
Operation Woodrose was a military operation carried out by the Indira Gandhi-led Indian government in the months after Operation Blue Star to "prevent the outbreak of widespread public protest" in the state of Punjab. The government arrested all prominent members of the largest Sikh political party, the Akali Dal, and banned the All India Sikh Students Federation, a large students' union. In addition, the Indian Army conducted operations in the countryside during which thousands of Sikhs, overwhelmingly young men, were detained for interrogation and subsequently tortured. Despite its purported success in controlling the armed insurgency in the Punjab region, the operation was criticized by human-rights groups for the suspension of civil liberties and habeas corpus, resulting in the disappearances of thousands of Sikh men. After the operation, the central government was criticized for using "draconian legislation" to repress a minority community.
The Vested Property Act is a controversial law in Bangladesh that allows the Government to confiscate property from individuals it deems as an enemy of the state. Before the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, it was known as the Enemy Property Act and is still referred to as such in common parlance. The act is criticized as a tool for appropriating the lands of the minority population.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Pakistan are considered taboo. Even in large cities, gays and lesbians have to be highly discreet about their sexual orientation. Pakistani law prescribes criminal penalties for same-sex sexual acts. The Pakistan Penal Code of 1860, originally developed under the British Raj, punishes sodomy with a possible prison sentence and has other provisions that impact the human rights of LGBT Pakistanis, under the guise of protecting public morality and order. Despite being illegal, acts of homosexuality are not always prosecuted in the country. Nonetheless, HIV infection remains a serious problem.
Honour killings in Pakistan are known locally as karo-kari. Pakistan has the highest volume of documented and estimated honour killings per capita of any country in the world; about one-fifth of the world's honour killings are performed in Pakistan. An honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community. The death of the victim is viewed as a way to restore the reputation and honour of the family.
From 1984 to 1994, the state of Punjab in northern India was engaged in a power struggle between the militant secessionist Khalistan movement and Indian security forces. The Indian government responded to the escalating Punjab insurgency by launching Operation Blue Star in 1984, storming the Harmandir Sahib, or Golden Temple complex in Amritsar—the center of Sikh religious and spiritual life, where some militant groups had retreated. The Operation was controversial and resulted in death of hundreds of civilians, militants and soldiers. After Sikh bodyguards assassinated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, further violence ensued.
The 2009 Gojra riots were a series of attacks targeting Christians in Gojra town in Punjab province of Pakistan. These resulted in the deaths of eight Christians including four women and a child.
The 2005 Mong shooting occurred on 7 October 2005 in Mong in the Mandi Bahauddin District, Punjab, Pakistan. Eight members of the minority Ahmadiyya Muslim Community were killed inside a mosque as worshipers were performing Salat.
Khalid Ranjha is a lawyer and politician from Punjab.
Clement Shahbaz Bhatti, popularly known as Shahbaz Bhatti, was a Pakistani politician and elected member of the National Assembly from 2008. He was the first Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs from November 2008 until his assassination on 2 March 2011 in Islamabad and the only Christian in the Cabinet. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for his killing and called him a blasphemer of Muhammad. In March 2016, five years after the death of Shahbaz Bhatti, his cause for beatification was formally opened by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, making him a Servant of God within the Roman Catholic Church.
Child labour in Pakistan is the employment of children for work in Pakistan, which causes them mental, physical, moral and social harm. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan estimated that in the 1990s, 11 million children were working in the country, half of whom were under age ten. In 1996, the median age for a child entering the work force was seven, down from eight in 1994. It was estimated that one quarter of the country's work force was made up of children.
Kamran Michael is a Pakistani politician who served as Minister for Statistics, in Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to May 2018. He previously served as the Minister for Human Rights in the third Sharif ministry from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Michael held the cabinet portfolio of Minister for Ports and Shipping from 2013 to 2016.
The Pakistan Christian Congress (PCC) is a Christian political party and lobby group in Pakistan and was founded in 1985. The party aims to safeguard and advocate the social, religious and political rights of Christians in Pakistan.
Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department is a department of Government of Punjab, Pakistan. Auqaf & Religious Department is headed by the Secretary Auqaf & Religious Affairs who is assisted by the Additional Secretary and the Deputy Secretary. The department is governed under Punjab Waqf Properties Ordinance, 1979.. The current minister for Religious Affairs and Auqaf is Peer Syed Saeed ul Hassan Shah since 13th September 2018.
Khalil Tahir Sandhu is a Pakistani politician who was a Member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, from 2008 to May 2018.
Ijaz Masih is a Pakistani politician who was elected member for the Provincial Assembly of Punjab.
