The state religion in Pakistan is Islam, which is practiced by 96% of the population. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Pakistan constitution. The Pakistani constitution established a fundamental right in which all Pakistani citizens irrespective of Religions have equal rights,The remaining 4% practice Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism and other religions.
Muslims are divided into the following sects: the majority of them practice Sunni Islam,[8] while 5–20% are Shias. Nearly all Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi Fiqh Islamic law school.[6] The majority of Pakistani Shia Muslims belong to the Ithnā‘Ashariyyah Islamic law school, with significant minority groups who practice Ismailism, which is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaymani, and others.
Constitutional provisions
The constitution of Pakistan establishes Islam as the state religion,[12] and provides all its citizens the right to profess, practice and propagate their religion subject to law, public order, and morality.[13] The Constitution also states that all laws are to conform with the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Quran and Sunnah. The constitution limits the political rights of Pakistan's non-Muslims, and only Muslims are allowed to become the President[15] or the Prime Minister.[16] Moreover, only Muslims are allowed to serve as judges in the Federal Shariat Court, which has the power to strike down any law deemed un-Islamic, though its judgments can be overruled by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.[17]
Demographics of religion in Pakistan
Based on information collected from the Library of Congress, Pew Research Center, CIA World Factbook, Oxford University, University of Pennsylvania, U.S. State Department and others, the following is a list of estimations about the percentage of people professing different faiths in the country. These estimations vary considerably from source to source, depending on methods of research and databases that were used.