Jalila Haider, a human rights advocate and activist, spoke for the panel on “Religious & Ethnic Minorities Under Siege in South Asia” at AJCONF 2019. In her opening statement, she pointed out that religion is used as a political tool against minorities in Pakistan, and that the nation’s secular and liberal groups have recoiled from not taking a stand against it. “Religious minority” is a derogatory term in itself, as the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees equal rights and status to all citizens.
