The Pakistani Government "imposes limits on freedom of religion", while relations between different religious groups and sects in the country are frequently tense and violence-ridden, a US State Department report said.
Pakistani Constitution provides for religious freedom, but "in practice", the government "imposes limits," said the annual report on International Religious Freedom.
Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal's outspoken calls for Islamic laws and morals, minority groups claim, "made the social climate more hostile to persons of minority Muslim sects and other religions." More than 100 persons were detained for blasphemy offences as of the end of the reporting period.
When blasphemy and other religious cases are brought to court, extremists often pack the courtroom and make public threats against an acquittal. Judges and magistrates, seeking to avoid a confrontation with or violence often continue trials indefinitely. As a result, those accused of blasphemy often face lengthy periods in jail and are burdened with increased legal costs and repeated court apperances.
Relations between different religious groups frequently were tense, acts of sectarian and religious violence continued, with over 100 deaths attributed to sectarian violence during the period.
The worst religious violence was directed against the Shia minority, which continued to be "disproportionately the victims of individual and mass killings", the report said.
Religious minority groups believe that they are under-represented in government census counts and claim that they represent 10 per cent of the population rather than the census figure of 4 to 5 per cent.
Hindu shrines and temples are scattered throughout the country, although "most of them are now used as residences." Approximately 1,500 temples and shrines exist in Sindh and 500 in Baluchistan. The Sikh community regularly holds ceremonial gatherings at sacred places in Punjab, it said.