Religion

The state religion in Pakistan is Islam, which is practiced by about 95-98% people of the nation.The remaining 2-5% practice Christianity, Hinduism and other religions. Although, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a predominant Muslim state, its minorities are given equal opportunities to participate in the affairs of the state with complete freedom and the right to practice their own faith. This is manifested in the form of large number churches, temples and other holy places of minority religion population.

Following are the religions that are mostly practiced in Pakistan.

Islam

Islam

The Islamic republic of Pakistan and Islam are synonymous since Pakistan was carved out of the Hindu dominated British India so that Muslims could live and practice their religion free of any bondage, subjugation and fear. Today, about 97 percent of all Pakistanis are Muslims. As per a rough estimate, Sunni Muslims constitute 77 percent of the population and that adherents of Shia Islam make up an additional 20 percent. This makes Pakistan the second largest Sunni population in the world (after Indonesia) and the second largest Shia population in the world (after Iran). Most of the Sunnis adhere to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, whilst most of the Shias belong to the Ithna 'ashariyah school of jurisprudence. Smaller Muslim sects include the Ismailis and the Dawoodi Bohras.

Pakistan was carved out of the erstwhile British India on the basic plea by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan that Hindus and Muslims are two separate entities and they cannot coexist under one roof for many reasons, religion and religion related dissimilarities being the major cause. Muslims of India decided to find a place for themselves where they could be free to practice their religion as per the aspirations and tenants of Islam. The popular slogan at that time was "Pakistan Ka Matlab Kia - La Illah ha Illilal La" (What is the meaning of Pakistan - There is no God but Allah").

 

Christians

Christians are the largest religious minority community in Pakistan, numbering only around 1.6 million people, or 1% of Pakistan's entire population, according to the sources cited in the Demographics of Pakistan. Christians found their way to India through missionaries accompanied colonizing forces from Portugal, France and Great Britain, but in north western India, today's Pakistan, Christianity was mainly brought by the British rulers of India in the later 18th and 19th century. This is evidenced in cities established by the British, such as the port city of Karachi, where the St. Patrick's Cathedral, Pakistan's largest church stands, and the churches in the city of Rawalpindi, where the British established a major military cantonment. Christians have made immense contributions to the Pakistani national life. Pakistan's first non-Muslim and certainly most respected Chief Justice of Pakistan Supreme Court was Justice A R Cornelius. Pakistani Christians also distinguished themselves as great fighter pilots in the Pakistan Air Force. Notable amongst them are Cecil Chaudhry, Peter O'Reilly and Mervyn L Middlecoat. Christians have also contributed as educationists, doctors, lawyers and businessmen.

christian

 

 

Sikhism

Sikhism

Sikhism in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan constitute a very small minority religion, but has many cultural, historical and political ties to the country, and to the historical region of Punjab. Pakistan has a significant place in Sikhism. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism was born in present- Pakistan, and it is said he received his message near Lahore. Therefore, the religion actually originated in Pakistan. Most of Sikhism's holy sites are located in Pakistan.

Lahore is the location of many important religious and historical sites for Sikhs, including the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh. The nearby town of Nankana Sahib has nine gurdwaras, and is the birthplace of Sikhism's founder, Guru Nanak Dev. Each of Nankana Sahib's gurdwaras are associated with different events in Guru Nanak Dev's life. The town remains an important site of pilgrimage for Sikhs worldwide. The historical and holy sites of Sikhs are maintained by a Pakistani governmental body, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, which is responsible for their upkeep and preservation. The largest Sikh population in Pakistan is found in Peshawar, in the Northwest Frontier Province. Sikhs are also found in sizable communities in Waziristan and Swat.

 

Hinduism

Hinduism was once the main religion of areas that are now included in Pakistan and dates back to Mehrgarh and Indus Valley Civilizations. It remained unchallenged religion of the Indian sub-continent till the first invasion of Arabs in 711 AD by Muhammad Bin Qasim. Thereafter, it endured many conquests and invasions, different rulers, and ultimately political separation from the Hindu-majority India. In August 1947, at the end of British Raj, the population percentage of Hindus in what is today Pakistan was perhaps as high as 30-35%, but would drop to its current total of less than 2 % in the years since partition. When Pakistan gained independence in August 1947, over 7 million Hindus and Sikhs from what was East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh provinces left this new state for India, and a similar number of Muslims moved the other way. Many Hindus who attained great success in the public eye in India, like the film stars Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, and Sunil Dutt trace their birthplaces and ancestral homes to the towns of Pakistan. Independent India's first Test cricket captain, Lala Amarnath hailed from Lahore, and former home Minister Lal Krishna Advani was born in Karachi.

Hinduism