In Pakistan, the word “Hindu” often carries meanings far beyond religion—frequently hurled as an insult in political speeches, everyday conversations, and even in schoolyards. This casual bigotry reflects the entrenched discrimination faced by the country’s Hindu minority, who now make up just 2.17 percent of the population. That figure is not just a demographic statistic—it’s a reflection of decades of marginalization, persecution, and exclusion.
Hindus across Pakistan continue to face a range of injustices: forced conversions, land seizures, social ostracization, and economic exclusion. In recent years, these challenges have taken on new dimensions online, where hate campaigns and disinformation target the community with renewed intensity.
Social media platforms, while offering new ways to organize and speak out, have also become breeding grounds for anti-Hindu sentiment—circulating viral hate content, inciting violence, and reinforcing dangerous stereotypes. At the same time, these platforms are being used by human rights defenders to expose abuses and push back against dominant narratives.
Pakistan’s founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, envisioned a state where religious identity would not define a citizen’s place in society. Yet more than seven decades later, that vision has been eclipsed by a state-sponsored ideology that privileges religious division over pluralism. Hindus are still viewed primarily through the lens of pre-partition animosities, and this framing continues to justify exclusionary attitudes and policies.
Online Hate Speech
The rapid proliferation of social media platforms—Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, YouTube, and TikTok—has significantly amplified extremist narratives. While these platforms were once envisioned as tools for free expression and connectivity, they have increasingly become vehicles for hate speech targeting religious minorities. A 2021 report by the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) documented the growing threats faced by minority communities in Pakistan’s digital spaces, underscoring how online platforms have become hostile spaces to marginalized groups.
On these platforms, inflammatory language such as Wajib-ul-Qatal (“deserving to be killed”), Kafir (“infidel”), and Fitna (“source of discord”) is frequently directed at Hindus. This rhetoric fuels an atmosphere of dehumanization and intimidation, where Hindus are not only demonized but openly threatened.
Hindu festivals and religious practices are often mocked online, routinely labeled as satanic or anti-Islamic in ways that discourage public expression and participation. Viral posts and comment threads reinforce harmful stereotypes, attacking individuals who publicly celebrate their faith and normalizing derogatory language in everyday digital discourse.
The consequences of this online hate are not limited to the virtual world. In August 2021, a wave of social media outrage followed the bail of an eight-year-old Hindu boy accused of blasphemy. The digital incitement led to the violent mob attack and desecration of the historic Ganesh Temple in Rahim Yar Khan, a city in Pakistan’s Punjab, displacing members of the local Hindu community.
Beyond violence, digital hostility has also fueled another alarming trend: the targeted conversion of Hindu boys. This mirrors the long-standing issue of forced conversions of young Hindu girls, often involving coercion, manipulation, or grooming tactics. Platforms like Facebook and TikTok are increasingly used to glorify and normalize these conversions, portraying them in celebratory or heroic terms that obscure the underlying abuse.
Blasphemy Business Group
Blasphemy accusations in Pakistan have long served as a powerful tool of persecution, and the digital landscape has only intensified their weaponization. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in its report Under Siege: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2023–24, disinformation spread through social media has emerged as a key driver behind a majority of registered blasphemy cases.
More alarmingly, organized criminal networks—commonly referred to as the “Blasphemy Business Groups”—have begun exploiting this climate of fear. These groups engage in hacking social media accounts and circulating fabricated content to falsely implicate individuals in blasphemy cases, often for financial extortion or personal vendettas. Operating primarily through platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook, these groups disguise themselves as forums for employment, religious discussions, or even romantic connections. Once individuals are lured in, they are blackmailed and coerced into paying large sums of money to escape false accusations and the potentially deadly consequences that follow.
This digital extortion has placed innocent Hindus under constant threat. Many have had to publicly affirm their respect for Islamic values online as a form of self-protection, hoping to ward off suspicion or deflect accusations. This coerced display of loyalty not only violates their digital rights and freedom of expression but also forces them into a constant cycle of fear, submission, and performative allegiance.
Digital Repression
In 2024, a coordinated online campaign targeting the Minority Rights March was launched by radical groups, with Hindu activists bearing the brunt of the threats. The march was falsely labeled as anti-Islamic, and participants were accused of blasphemy—an allegation that can carry life-threatening consequences in Pakistan. Online vigilante accounts circulated images of the organizers across social media, accompanied by threats and incitement.
In response to such harassment, many Hindus have been forced to adopt Muslim-sounding usernames on digital platforms to blend in and reduce their visibility. Hindu women, in particular, face heightened risks. Their participation in online spaces is severely restricted due to safety concerns, leading many to avoid social media altogether or use pseudonyms or accounts of male relatives. This digital invisibility not only silences their voices but also restricts access to economic, educational, and social opportunities.
Social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube, driven by algorithmic echo chambers, further deepen this divide. These platforms reinforce users’ existing beliefs, limiting exposure to interfaith or counter-narratives. In a context where Hindus already face systemic discrimination, such digital isolation only inflames marginalization and hostility.
This repression is compounded by recent legal changes. Amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) have granted the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) sweeping powers to block or remove online content without judicial oversight. These expanded authorities pose a serious threat to freedom of expression, particularly for religious minorities. The Act’s vague definitions of “false information” and “misinformation” allow state authorities to interpret dissent, critique of religious orthodoxy, or documentation of human rights abuses as criminal offenses.
For Hindu activists documenting hate speech, forced conversions, or systemic discrimination, the implications are dire. Their advocacy can now be mischaracterized as disinformation and punished under the law. Instead of protecting citizens, the PECA amendments threaten to shrink the already limited digital spaces available to religious minorities.
Online Resistance
While social media has undoubtedly fueled persecution, it has also emerged as a powerful platform for resistance—enabling Pakistan’s Hindu community to amplify their voices, build solidarity, and advocate for justice. Hashtags such as #JusticeForHinduGirls, #RecoverPriyaKumari, and #StopForcedConversions have mobilized public support and drawn international attention to the plight of Hindus facing systemic discrimination and abuse.
In June 2022, the Shri Mari Mata Mandir—a Hindu temple in Karachi’s Korangi area—was vandalized by unidentified assailants who desecrated idols, damaged sacred artifacts, and attacked the temple priest. The incident triggered a wave of digital outrage. Online campaigns led to public condemnations, diplomatic pressure, and a government response: law enforcement agencies were directed to increase security at minority religious sites, and several arrests were made in connection with the attack. This was a rare moment when digital advocacy translated into tangible state action.
Social media platforms have also offered a space for cultural expression and community pride. Through videos, livestreams, and photos of temple rituals, festivals, and community gatherings, Pakistani Hindus have used platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to showcase their rich heritage, promoting a greater sense of belonging and interfaith understanding. Dedicated pages, podcasts, and digital collectives have emerged to raise awareness about forced conversions, land encroachments, and systemic discrimination.
Independent filmmakers and activists are utilizing these platforms to spark national and global dialogues on religious tourism and interfaith harmony, emphasizing the need for inclusive policies, changes in societal behavior, and greater accountability from minority political representatives. Hindu youth in particular have embraced platforms like YouTube and TikTok to document daily life, religious practices, and personal reflections—challenging stereotypes and presenting a more nuanced, humanizing narrative of what it means to be Hindu in Pakistan.
However, for this digital resistance to thrive, meaningful structural reforms are essential. Social media companies must be held accountable for enabling the spread of harmful content. Robust content moderation policies must be implemented and supported by local language experts who can detect and act on hate speech in regional languages.
Legal frameworks like the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) must be revised to ensure they do not suppress minority voices under the pretext of regulating misinformation. Instead, they should be used to protect vulnerable communities from digital harassment and persecution.
The Pakistani government must support digital advocacy initiatives, launch interfaith awareness campaigns, and promote digital literacy. It must also ensure the safety of activists and journalists documenting hate speech, forced conversions, and rights violations.
Social media companies must go beyond profit-driven engagement metrics. Platforms must release regular transparency reports detailing actions taken against hate speech, improve user privacy tools, and invest in localized fact-checking to curb disinformation. Only through these measures can social media evolve into a safer, more inclusive space for Pakistan’s Hindu community and other marginalized groups.
(Jayaa Jaggi is a human rights activist and young peacebuilder from Pakistan. In recognition of her community service, she has received multiple accolades, including being named a Young Woman Leader by UNDP. As a social entrepreneur, Jayaa has spoken at prominent national and international forums and is an alumna of Harvard’s Emerging Leaders Program.)