Declaration on the rights of persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic minorities.
Persons belonging to minorities may exercise their rights, including those set forth in the present declaration, individually as well as in community with other members of their group, without any discrimination.                                                                                                        Article 3 (1)
Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination based on Religion or Belief.
No one shall be subject to coercion, which would impair his freedom to have a religion or belief of his choice.
No one shall be subject to discrimination by any state, institution, group of persons or person on the grounds of religion or other beliefs.                                                             Article 1 (2) and 2 (1)

Constitution of Pakistan

Parochial and other similar prejudices to be discouraged:

The state shall discourage parochial, racial, tribal, sectarian and provincial prejudices among the citizens.                                                                                                                   Article 33
Protection of minorities: The state shall safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of minorities, including their due representation in the Federal and Provincial services.                        Article 36

Defining discrimination
The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination based on Religion or Belief says the expression ‘intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief’ means any distinction, exclusion, restriction, or preference based on religion or belief and having as its purpose or as its effect nullification or impairment of the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis.

Link to other rights
Discrimination between human beings on grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and shall be condemned as a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and enunciated in detail in the International Covenants on Human Rights, and as an obstacle to friendly and peaceful relations between nations.                  Article 3

Declaration on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion and belief.

The Phenomena of Discrimination
‘In a comparative sense, more Muslims have fallen victim to the religious intolerance of rival sects than members of religious minorities, but that may not be a fair comparison because of the smaller numbers of the minorities in the population (in Pakistan).

More than numbers, however it is the sense of exclusion, inferiority, discrimination and above all insecurity and fear that the rise of Islamic radicalism has brought to the religious minorities. Among all the minorities, Christians have made a tremendous contribution to our national development. They have run some of the best educational institutions and have operated quality health care centers and hospitals. They have been peaceful in the face of the worst provocation and violence.

The economically weaker sections of this community have faced social exclusion and discrimination in both urban and rural areas. They have endured social inferiority and humiliation with grace and patience, hoping things will change with modernization and development. While they have yet to achieve social and economic mobility, they have increasingly become victims of intolerance and terrorism.’
Rasul Bux Rais, Professor of Political Science Head of the department of Social Sciences, LUMS – Lahore,                                                                            Daily Dawn 23 March 2006

.‘This train of reasoning is not irrelevant but, in my view, it does not fully explain the plight of Hindus, Christians, and other minorities in Pakistan. They were intimated, insulted, humiliated and exploited even before the rise of fundamentalism and extremism. Their temples have been desecrated, even destroyed, from time to time ever since independence it will have to concede that the treatment meted out to them does have something to do with the fact of their being non-Muslim, and that the bad guys among us feel freer to target them than they do Muslims. The smallest of their proportion in the country’s population, and the resulting insufficiency of the impact they can make on its political and economic affairs, may also account for the low esteem holds them.

Seeing that Hindus are tiny minority, some Muslims feel free to insult, humiliate, intimidate, and blackmail them. In the past few years a number of prosperous Hindus (doctors, lawyers, and businessmen) have been kidnapped for ransom. Many of them have had to pay money to extortionists in return only for being left alone. The community at large is suspected of being disloyal to the country and individual Hindu may be accused of being Indian agents, sponsoring disaffection and sabotage.’ Anwar Syed, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at University of Massachusetts                                                                                 Daily Dawn 18 June, 2006.