For Immediate Release (Westlake Village, CA) — In the recent flare-up of the India-Pakistan conflict in Kashmir, religious minorities are often the first and most vulnerable victims. In Pakistan, Christians, Hindus, Ahmadiyya, and Shi’a Muslims have for years endured persecution, discrimination, and violence often at the hands of both state and non-state actors. The situation in India, though not as severe as in Pakistan, is increasingly challenging for minorities. Even in times of relative peace, these communities live under the constant threat of harassment and marginalization.

According to a recent report from Christian Solidarity International (CSI), the April 2025 massacre of 26 Indian tourists near Pahalgam, Kashmir, marked a dramatic shift in the conflict’s trajectory. India blamed Pakistan-based militant groups for the attack. Pakistan denied involvement.

Since their partition in 1947, India and Pakistan have been defined not only by territorial disputes but also by religious identities: Hindu majority India and Muslim majority Pakistan. Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region controlled mostly by India, remains the epicenter of this contest, with both countries claiming the territory and its population caught in the crossfire.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government continues to promote a Hindu nationalist agenda, exacerbating communal tensions and marginalizing Muslims and Christians. In Pakistan, influential religious and political figures, including military leaders, have increasingly framed the conflict in explicitly Islamic terms, reinforcing the notion of a holy Jihad.

The accelerating Islamization of Pakistan is also reflected in an increase in religious persecution. According to the Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), the first quarter of 2025 saw a sharp rise in the number of incidents: over 400 reports of persecution, including physical attacks, blasphemy charges, abductions, forced conversions, and forced marriages. Blasphemy laws continue to be weaponized against minorities, often resulting in mob violence and impunity for perpetrators. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reports that Pakistan’s legal and social environment has become even more hostile in 2025, with blasphemy accusations and violence against Christians and other minorities on the rise.

Both India and Pakistan are falling far short of international standards for religious freedom. Pakistan remains designated as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) by U.S. State Department due to systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious rights. India, while officially secular, faces growing criticism for its treatment of religious minorities and the erosion of protections in Kashmir. The independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has consistently recommended that India be designated a CPC as well; the State Department has resisted for what are widely understood to be strategic reasons.

Now, as extremist religious rhetoric intensifies in the context of a possible renewed armed conflict, the situation for minorities threatens to deteriorate further.

CSI continues their humanitarian efforts in Pakistan offering emergency aid for victims of terrorism and Islamist mob violence, legal aid for people accused of blasphemy or victims of forced marriages, and support for their families.

In India, CSI offers legal and material support for victims of religious violence and discrimination, support for a large network of human rights lawyers for low-income clients, and education to members of religious minorities regarding fundamental rights, laws, and conduct.