No allocation for minorities under Pakistan's federal budget 2024-25

No allocation has been made for minorities welfare schemes under the Pakistani federal budget for 2024-25. As per the budget documents reviewed by WION, the header "welfare of minorities initiatives/schemes" has been assigned zero allocation. This marks a stark contrast to the previous fiscal year (2023-24), which had earmarked 100 million Pakistani Rupees for minority welfare, maintaining the same figure even in the revised budget.

The exclusion comes at a time when religious minorities in Pakistan—comprising Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and others—continue to face numerous challenges. These include systemic discrimination, violence, and the repercussions of stringent blasphemy laws. Reports of forced conversions, kidnappings, and attacks on places of worship have been distressingly frequent, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of these communities.

Meanwhile, the budget for religious affairs has seen an increase. The allocation for religious affairs in the 2024-25 budget stands at Pakistan Rs 1,861 million, up from Pakistan Rs 1,780 million in the previous year. Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony is responsible for managing religious affairs, including the welfare of Haj pilgrims.

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The budget allocation for the human rights division has also been slashed significantly. For the fiscal year 2024-25, the division has been allocated only 104 million Pakistan rupees, a steep drop from the previous year's 814 million Pakistan rupees. Notably, the revised budget for 2023-24 indicated an actual expenditure of just 130 million rupees out of the 814 million allocated, raising questions about the utilisation of funds.

In another notable allocation, Pakistan has proposed a substantial budget for its armed forces. The defence budget for 2024-25 has been proposed at Rs 2.12 trillion, reflecting a 17.6% increase from the previous year. This constitutes 1.7% of the country’s GDP, highlighting the government's prioritisation of military spending.