“Mazhab Nahi, Soch Badlo: Religious Minorities Call for End to Forced Conversions and Intolerance”
“Jinnah’s Vision of Religious Freedom for All Pakistanis Remains Confined to History Books”
KARACHI — The YMCA ground was alive on Sunday with the sound of drums, chants, and a bright patchwork of Sindhi prints. From somewhere in the crowd, the slogan “Mazhab nahi, soch badlo” cut through the noise. People picked it up quickly, repeating it until it rolled like a wave across the gathering.
Pastor Daniel, from Philadelphia Pentecostal Church, stood quietly for most of it, then leaned in and said, “I don’t like the word ‘minority’. It makes us sound like we don’t belong here. We’re Pakistanis like everyone else.”
The irony wasn’t lost on anyone that the march — part of the annual Minority Rights Day — had to be held a day early. “We wouldn’t get an official holiday to celebrate it,” a volunteer laughed, but it was the kind of laugh that comes with resignation.
Jinnah’s Promise, Then and Now
More than once, speakers brought up Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s speech about citizens being free to visit temples, mosques, and churches. The reality, they argued, is far from it. Pastor Daniel admitted that preaching his faith was impossible and even practicing it came with a risk.
Several organisers reminded the audience that Jinnah himself had been educated in schools founded by religious minorities — schools now out of reach for most in those communities because of state control.
Two Issues Front and Centre
This year’s rally had two clear demands. First, the return of schools and colleges taken under the nationalisation policy decades ago. Second, a complete end to the forced conversions of underage girls, particularly Hindus in Sindh.
Organiser Luke Victor called the takeover of minority-founded schools “theft in plain sight” and argued that Article 22 of the Constitution guarantees their right to run their own institutions.
“It’s sort of a robbery of our heritage, of our educational institutions.”
Girls Taken Too Young
The forced conversion issue was never far from the microphone. “If you can’t get a licence or a gun before you’re 18, how can you change your religion before that age?” asked one speaker who runs a shelter for rescued girls.
Rampal Singh, wearing a sea-green turban, told the crowd they had 11 demands in total, but the first was ending the forced conversion of Hindu girls. He called the day a “celebration,” not a protest, and promised to join Muslim citizens on August 14 in solidarity.
Activist Suhani Naveej explained how many Hindu parents now avoid making ID cards for their daughters so they can’t be legally declared adults in court if abducted. “It cuts them off from education, from healthcare, from everything,” she said.
Beyond Faith — Fighting Old Stereotypes
Sanjana Kumar of the Jaguti Foundation turned the focus to jobs. She criticised ads that specifically want “non-Muslims” for sanitation roles, pointing out the contradiction: “If cleanliness is half of faith, why is it our job alone?”
The point drew loud applause.
Steps of Freedom
For hours, the speeches continued, broken up by bursts of chanting. Vendors wandered through selling papad and bhel. Families sat on the grass. By late afternoon, someone started playing Damadam Mast Qalandar on a harmonium, and the crowd began to sway, some laughing, some crying.
Najma Maheshwari, another organiser, summed up the mood: “We were here before Pakistan, and we’ll be here after. We’ve been fighting since we can remember, and we’re not done yet.”
