Religion in Pakistan

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The Badshahi Mosque in Lahore was built during the Mughal Empire

Shiva Parvati Hindu Temple in Mithi

St. Patrick's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi

The animistic Kalash people at Chilam Joshi festival in Chitral, whose religion resembles ancient Hinduism^[6]

The official religion of Pakistan is Islam, as enshrined by Article 2 of the Constitution, and is practised by approximately 96.47% of the country's population.^[1][7] The remaining 3.53% practice Hinduism, Christianity, Ahmadiyya Islam (considered non-Muslims by the Pakistani constitution),^[8] Sikhism and other religions.^[9][10]

A few aspects of secularism have also been adopted by Pakistani constitution from British colonial concept.^{[9][11][12][13][14]} However, religious minorities in Pakistan often face significant discrimination, subject to issues such as violence and the blasphemy laws.^[15][16]

Muslims comprise a number of sects: the majority practice Sunni Islam (estimated at 90%), while a minority practice Shia Islam (estimated at 10%).^[17][18][19] Most Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence,^[9] which is represented by the Barelvi and Deobandi traditions. However, the Hanbali school is gaining popularity recently due to Wahhabi influence from the Middle East.^[20] The majority of Pakistani Shia Muslims belong to the Twelver Islamic law school, with significant minority groups who practice Ismailism, which is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaymani, and others.

Before the arrival of Islam beginning in the 8th century, the region comprising Pakistan was home to a diverse plethora of faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism.^[21][22]