The text messages stated, Sharing of blasphemy, pornography, terrorism, and other unlawful content on social media and the internet is illegal. The TLP and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, a banned organization under the National Counterterrorism Authoritys Schedule-I list, also held smaller rallies. victims of Takfiri terrorism and govt apathy - Tehran Times Some community representatives said Christians continued to face difficulties in registering marriages with Islamabad union councils because the councils claimed they had no authority to deal with unions recorded by Christian marriage registrars (usually church authorities). 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) In July 2020, Tahaffuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam (protection of foundation of Islam bill) was passed by the Punjab assembly, which supported only the Sunni interpretation of Islam, provoking a huge . Edit: August and September of 2020 has seen a renewed attack on Shia Muslims within Pakistan. The protesters said that when they opposed the illegal evictions of villagers, they were charged in fake cases by revenue officials. Analysis of census data and demographic research. Perpetrators of societal violence and abuses against religious minorities often faced no legal consequences due to a lack of follow-through by law enforcement, bribes offered by the accused, and pressure on victims to drop cases. Students who identify themselves as Muslims must declare in writing they believe Mohammed is the final prophet. On July 13, hundreds of members of the Bheel community, including women and children, marched and demonstrated against the demolition of their homes by revenue officials whom they said were in collusion with an influential landlord of the area in Mithi, Sindh. Between 1998 and 2017, Pakistan's average population growth rate was 2.40%. Pakistan has the third largest Shia population after India and Iran. At first, they used hashtags, then killed us and rallied against us. On November 9, also in Peshawar, an 82-year-old retired Ahmadi government worker was killed by unknown gunmen while waiting for a bus. The temple had also been part of a government-run school. For 40-year-old Tehseen, Kashif was her whole world. Unofficial estimates vary widely with regard to the size of minority religious groups. On November 23, the Sindh High Court dissolved the marriage of an underage Christian girl to a 44-year-old Muslim man. Minority lawmakers and civil society activists reacted strongly to the attack, stating the boys had been instigated by local Muslim clerics. On July 22, Saeed Amanat, a Muslim man, abducted a 15-year-old Christian girl on her way to church in Faisalabad, Punjab. A constitutional amendment devolves responsibility for minorities affairs, including religious minorities, to the provinces. The government has never executed anyone specifically for blasphemy. In a recent study conducted by the Law and Society Alliance, a New Delhi-based think tank headed by N.C. Bipindra, the population of G-B is now approximately 1.5 million, with around 39 per cent Shia, 27 per cent Sunni, 18 per cent Ismaili and 16 per cent Nurbakhshi. In 2020, the provincial government began to implement the act, and NADRA began registering Hindu marriages in Sindh, according to Hindu community activists. Provinces of Pakistan Population Detail Information About Provinces Wise Population Pakistan: Shia Muslims . The law requires elected Muslim officials to swear an oath affirming their belief that Mohammed is the final prophet of Islam. 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. NGOs expressed concern about what they stated was the increasing frequency of attempts to kidnap, forcibly convert, and forcibly marry young women from religious minority communities, especially young Hindu and Christian women. Zaidi. Despite these problems some international organizations have researched and reported some statistics. In addition to the large JUI-F conference and rallies, the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami also held a large event in September in Peshawar; both parties criticized the PTI-led national government for failing to enforce Islamic law. An Ahmadi trader in Peshawar was shot near his business on August 12. Government officials and politicians attended and spoke at multiple Khatm-e-Nabuwat (Finality of Prophethood) conferences held in major cities and at religious sites around the country. A local jihadist group and a violent protest movement are driving renewed sectarian strife in Pakistan. Even Fawad Chaudhry, currently serving as the minister for science and technology in Khans government, conceded that sectarianism was an issue that was getting out of hand. Azerbaijan and Iran were both conquered by Shah Ismail I around the same time where he also forced a conversion of Sunnis to Shia Islam. The constitution reserves seats for non-Muslim members in both the national and provincial assemblies. No casualties were reported. There are large numbers of Shia's lives in India,Pakistan, Syria, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arab. 4. The present Christian population in Pakistan is ranged between 2-3 million as per as recent (2020-21) year estimation by various institution and NGOs of Pakistan. Authorities provided enhanced security for Shia Muslim, Christian, and Hindu places of worship at various times throughout the year, including around particular religious holidays or in response to specific threats. by Senge Sering in Baltimore Post Examiner, Feb 27, 2023 The writer is the President of Gilgit Baltistan Institute in Washington D.C. After Iran and India, Pakistan has the world's third-largest Shia community, accounting for ten percent of the total population. Qatar. Although students of other religious groups are not legally required to study Islam, schools do not always offer parallel studies in their own religious beliefs. In September, several religious groups from the Deobandi and Barelvi schools of Sunni Islam organized a series of rallies in Karachi to denounce Shia defamation of revered Sunni religious figures. By law, decisions of the FSC may be appealed to the Supreme Courts Shariat Appellate Bench. In late December, the PTA publicly used this new authority for the first time to demand the removal of sacrilegious content. / shia surnames in pakistan. Pakistan Population (2023) - Worldometer 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. Pakistan's president gives Shias an exemption, but the sectarian confrontation becomes an important political issue in the country. It was the largest anti-Shia march seen in decades in Pakistan, and was copied in other cities including the capital Islamabad. NGOs expressed concern that authorities often failed to intervene in instances of societal violence against religious minorities due to fear of retaliation, inadequate staff, or apathy. . 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. Some activists reported receiving death threats because of their work. Christian advocates also called on the government to allow them to travel to Israel. She said Domki had taken her to Balochistan two months earlier and held her there until police rescued her. shia surnames in pakistan 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. On November 21, Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari posted a tweet calling for the government to protect all its citizens. 2. The traffickers told pastors and parents they would arrange marriages to Chinese men who had supposedly converted to Christianity, after which the women were taken to China, abused, and in some cases, sexually trafficked. Similar to the previous year, some Sikh and Hindu places of worship reopened during the year. He fears if he is seen on the streets of Karachi, the Pakistan city he calls home, he will be a dead man walking. On July 9, the Sindh High Court ordered that the girl could return to her Hindu parents. At other times, advocacy groups reported that blasphemy trials were held inside jails for security reasons, in which case the hearings were not public, resulting in a gain in immediate security but a loss of transparency. The court acquitted a second Christian in December. In July, the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) demanded that the federal interior ministry prevent the Ahmadi community from sacrificing animals on Eid al-Adha. The constitution requires the government to amend the law as directed by the court. This issue was discussed at a Webinar on Gilgit-Baltistan or G-B on November 10. Human rights groups reported an increase in blasphemy cases and allegations against members of the Shia Muslim community. The Special Adviser went on to meet with federal and provincial government officials and civil society leaders in Islamabad and Lahore. There is no provision in the law for atheists. Ahead of Christmas in Lahore, police deployed some 6,000 officers and officials at 623 churches. According to the penal code, the punishments for persons convicted of blasphemy include the death penalty for defiling the Prophet Mohammed, life imprisonment for defiling, damaging, or desecrating the Quran, and up to 10 years imprisonment for insulting anothers religious feelings. Speech or action intended to incite religious hatred is punishable by up to seven years imprisonment. There were some cases in which police received custody of the accused from a court for 14 days for a senior officer to carry out an investigation. February 27, 2023 . According to the constitution, there shall be no discrimination on the basis of religion in appointing individuals to government service, provided they are otherwise qualified.