Attitudes towards Religious Minorities in Pakistan: Gaps in the Literature and Future Directions

The purpose of this study was primarily to review and anchor the available research on the attitudes of the Muslim majority towards religious minorities in Pakistan. A summative content analysis approach was used and themes were made for analysis purposes. Restrictions were placed on the publication years of the studies and reports that deal with attitudes towards minorities in Pakistan. In this regard, the data produced from 2011 onwards was reviewed in this paper. The existing literature reveals consensus among the researchers regarding undesirable attitudes towards religious minorities in Pakistan that profoundly impact their lives. However, religion and culture-based prejudice are not explored by these studies. The present paper highlights the gaps in the existing literature, and proposes that the identified gaps, if filled, may lead to new insights in the domain.