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Religious Minorities of Pakistan: The Art of Resistance
This intense question, and the subsequent justification (of being the saviour) is continually forced onto religious minorities living in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, reportedly more on some than others — Sikhs in particular because of their easily visible turbaned appearance. A recent case was an online interview with Sunita Marshall, a well-known Christian-Pakistani actor, who was asked similar questions. The actor, with remarkable composure, politely answered the outlandish and unwarranted questions by the interviewer Nadir Ali; following a huge backlash on social media, Ali apologised for the questions.
I believe that the dynamics of such interactions are deeply rooted into the collective psyche of the numerically dominant Muslim population in Pakistan, shaped by the nation’s history centred around religion. During the freedom struggle against the British Empire, the ‘two-nation’ theory acted as the philosophical backbone for the demand of a separate Muslim homeland (from Hindu-dominated India) aided by religiously charged slogans, resulting eventually in the creation of ‘Pakistan’ — lit., ‘land of the pure’. The homeland acquired after years of struggle was where Muslims could freely practice their religion, enjoy autonomy, and belong.
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Navigating the Population-Development Nexus in Pakistan By Qaiser Rizwan Abbasi
While decaying democratic institutions have been deteriorating public service delivery, governance failures in Pakistan have paved the way for ‘poly-crises’—many crises that converge to reinforce each other and create a tougher challenge. Decades of missed opportunities and governance faultlines since Pakistan’s inception, have led to multidimensional challenges—growing political polarisation, economic stagnation and financial distress, constitutional crisis, and above all, the emergence of non-traditional security challenges. What is being viewed as a highly destructive threat, among all, which poses a daunting challenge to the country’s sustainability is: ‘The Ticking Population Bomb’.
With a population exceeding 230 million, Pakistan ranks as the world’s fifth most populous nation. According to the Population Reference Bureau, 2022, Pakistan’s population is projected to reach 302 million by 2040. This rapidly changing demographic profile of the country presents both opportunities and challenges for political decision-makers, and social scientists alike. Can policymakers—those responsible for changing the fate of the nation—leverage such a massive population to turn it into a ‘Demographic Dividend’?
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