August 8, 2026
By Shoukat Korai
KARACHI
Organisers of the Minority March, to be held in Karachi on National Minority Day, August 11, are deeply concerned, as the administration has still not issued any permission for the event, despite the fact that it is only a few days away. The march has been held consecutively each year since last several years and aims to highlight the rights, protection, and problems faced by religious minorities in the country. This year too, the march is scheduled to be held at the Mazar-e-Quaid (Numaish) where religious minorities will present their issues and demands before the state andpay tribute to their heroes.
According to Pastor Ghazala, one of the organizer’s of the march, religious minorities are currently facing a very difficult situation. She says one of the biggest challenges that they are facing is the issue of forced faith conversions where especially minors are being targeted.
“Through this march, religious minorities will place their issues, concerns, and demands in front of the State,” she said. “Religious minorities need to be reminded that at the time of Pakistan’s inception, they chose to remain in this country trusting the promises of the founder of Pakistan and his vision for the state.”
In this context, the protesters will recall the political and democratic struggle of minorities at the time of Pakistan’s founding, particularly that of S. P. Singha, who stood on the steps of the Punjab Assembly, raised slogans in favour of Pakistan, and voted for Pakistan.
According to the organisers, remembering history is essential. In 1947, religious minorities made up roughly 27 percent of the total population, but today the the number has gone down dratically. The question to be asked is why religious minorities keep shrinking from Pakistan’s social and political landscape. The organisers also question the census figures, saying the data on the Christian population that emerged in the 2018 census raises several questions. In their view, the state needs to seriously consider the population, representation, and protection of religious minorities.
The organisers also invoke incidents such as the Jaranwala tragedy, in which religious minorities faced violence, and demand that victims of such incidents be given justice and that those responsible be held accountable.
The right to speak is shrinking in Pakistan
Renowned artist and social activist Sheema Kirmani said that while the state itself designated a Minorities’ Day, the administration still refuses to grant written permission for the Minority March. She says this has become an annual story, and that similar difficulties have also been created around granting permission for the Aurat March.
“They are afraid, and they have made people so afraid that we are not even being allowed to hold a press conference at the Karachi Press Club. The right to speak in Pakistan is being taken away — whatever right existed has also been curtailed,” Sheema Kirmani told Voicepk.
She said that when the Karachi Press Club administration was contacted, the matter was stalled for four days, and organisers were later told a press conference could be held on Tuesday — even though the Minority March itself was scheduled for that same Tuesday on August 11. According to Kirmani, this situation raises the question of what has actually become of the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression in Pakistan.
According to march organiser Luke Victor, the administration keeps passing organisers from one official to another, neither clearly refusing nor granting written permission. He says the organisers continue to wait, but their decision is clear: the Minority March will be held no matter what.
Drawing-room issues have moved onto the streets
Speaking to Voicepk, Sajal Shafiq said the purpose of the Minority March is to bring to the forefront the problems faced by religious minorities in Pakistan — issues that were once discussed only in drawing rooms. She says these issues have now moved onto the streets, and people are speaking openly about their rights.
“We have no desire to protest on the streets or to have reached this point, but when we are not heard, people will keep coming out onto the streets like this,” she said. “Once an atmosphere of fear existed among religious minorities, of speaking of their issues, but the struggle of the Minority March has reduced that fear, and people have started raising their voices more openly for their rights.”
According to her, the march has raised awareness among people, and religious minorities have tried to carry a united voice about their problems to the authorities.
According to the organisers, this very struggle has brought minority issues under discussion in parliament, and legislation has also been passed on some related matters. They say the march on August 11, at the Mazar-e-Quaid, is not merely a protest but also a reminder, from religious minorities, of their constitutional, civic, and equal rights. They add that there is a need for serious dialogue on the gap between the promises made at Pakistan’s founding, the founder’s vision of the state, and today’s realities.
For now, with only a few days left before the march, the administration’s stance — neither granting permission nor refusing it — continues to leave the organisers in a state of uncertainty.