In his opening remarks, Rep. Chris Smith , R-N.J., a co-chairman of the bipartisan commission, noted what the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has said about the state of religious freedom in the South Asian nation.
“Authorities’ failure to address mob violence associated with blasphemy accusations, as well as forced conversions of religious minorities—including Hindus, Christians, and Sikhs—to Islam, reinforces a climate of intolerance and fear,” the religious freedom commission concluded.
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“Pakistan is a country of over 250 million people—the fifth-largest country in the world—so the human cost of this repression is immense in its scope as well [as] its severity,” Smith explained.
“Non-Muslims, including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs—along with Shiites, Sufis and other sects of Islam—have never been truly safe or protected [from the Sunni Muslim majority]. They face relentless discrimination, systematic prosecution, and violence, which tragically goes unpunished,” Sadiq Amini, founder of the Afghanistan Impact Network, told the commission. Afghanistan shares a 1,600-plus-mile border with Pakistan.
“The legal system, far from being a shield, often becomes a tool of their oppression, failing to provide the protection and justice they desperately need. Blasphemy laws are weaponized against them, mob violence is frequently condoned, and their places of worship are routinely attacked. This systemic failure to protect its most vulnerable citizens exposes the deep-seated intolerance fostered by the state, particularly the military,” Amini explained.
“In 2024 alone , 344 new cases were opened following blasphemy allegations. This caused widespread harassment and intimidation against religious minorities, though most cases were against the recognized Muslim community. Ten of those accused of blasphemy last year were extrajudicially killed,” Ben Linden, an advocacy director at Amnesty International, testified.
The commission also heard testimony about the imprisonment of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan , who was ousted from power in 2022.
“The conclusions drawn by U.S. Congress and U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention all point to the same reality: Imran Khan is a political prisoner, targeted for his popularity and open criticism of the military’s meddling in politics,” Jared Genser, a human rights lawyer and international counsel to Khan, said in his testimony to the commission.
Khan is currently being held in solitary confinement, and his wife is also in prison serving a seven-year term for charges that Genser characterized as politicized.
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission is named after a California Democrat who served in the House from 1981 until his death in 2008.
