In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday issued a 32-page judgement on the rights of religious minorities. Chief Justice (CJ) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, hearing a petition filed by Sindh Hindu community representative Ramesh Kumar about incidents where their places of worship were desecrated, issued a comprehensive judgement detailing how the rights of members of minority communities have been usurped by extremist groups because of negligence by the authorities in safeguarding individual rights. In its judgement, the SC ordered the formation of a national council for minorities’ rights to monitor and ensure the practical realisation of these rights and safeguards under the constitution, and a specially trained police taskforce charged with protecting their places of worship The SC noted that while the constitution specifies the rights to freedom of religion and its propagation, the ground reality was one of increasing prejudice and discrimination against minority communities. Reports such as the recent finding that members of the Ahmedi community have begun fleeing to China in a bid to escape persecution by extremist groups prove just how timely this judgement is. The court noted that propagation of extremist literature and hate speech via social media needed discouragement and the distributers of hate speech must be brought to justice. Noting that there was a general lack of awareness about the issue of minority rights among people and law enforcement agencies, the court also directed changes to curricula taught at schools and universities to promote a culture of religious tolerance. Minority groups have been ruthlessly persecuted partly because religious extremists have hijacked and framed the debate around Islamic traditions in terms of community viewpoints rather than constitutional rights. By reframing the debate in terms of the obligations of the state to its citizens, the SC has made the distinction between protection of religious minorities as groups, which is affirmative action to correct social imbalances, and individual rights it is bound to protect. The latter are subject only to law, public order, and morality, notions that the SC observed were “not reducible to the Islamic meanings of those terms”, acknowledging that the history of jurisprudence, Islamic and otherwise, cannot be limited to the narrow interpretations of one particular religious group or sect. This is a re-evaluation of the place of religion in Pakistani society, and yet is in the tradition of Islamic ijtehad (consultation) since the court also observed that Islam provides complete religious freedom “documented in both the Holy Quran and the prophetic teachings known as Sunnah”. This was reinforced when the CJ noted that no religious group, minority or otherwise, has the right to force an individual in religious matters, echoing Quranic teachings as well as Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s oft quoted statement, “You may belong to any religion or caste or creed; that has nothing to do with the business of the State.” Hence, while the reality on the ground remains perilous, this judgement is a significant step on the path to normalising interfaith relations and protecting Pakistanis of all faiths. *