Protection of minority rights under the international law: a case study in Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is a country with majority of 96.47% Muslims and 3.53% of non-Muslims including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians etc. In the constitution of Islamic republic of Pakistan 1973, many articles such as Article 20, 22, 25, 36, 37 and 38 are minority specific. According to these articles, the minorities living in Pakistan can practice their religions and are guaranteed all their fundamental rights. Oppression of the minorities by the majority is strictly prohibited by articles of a country’s respective constitutions. The Pakistani law ensures religious autonomy to its minorities and guarantees them freedom to practice their beliefs. This article will analyze the international law and the constitution of Pakistan in depth to understand whether the constitution of Pakistan is aligned with the international law for protection of minority rights. Moreover, this research paper finds out whether these laws are implemented as per the constitution. Using the in- depth secondary research method, this research paper will identify the significant role of Pakistan towards protection of minority rights as per the international law. This article will analyze these findings using the thematic coding. This paper focuses on safeguarding the minority rights in the international law as well as it will target the case study of Pakistan. The research paper concludes with the strengthening of the constitution of Pakistan and ways to ensure its implementation for protection of minority rights.