Pakistan, a country founded in the name of Islam, ironically turns its back on those who choose to embrace the faith. While conversion to Islam is an act of personal belief and conviction, it has become a bureaucratic nightmare in the very state that claims to uphold Islamic principles. NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority), the institution responsible for issuing identity cards, has systematically denied basic rights to converts, subjecting them to humiliation and legal limbo.
The Case of Muhammad Usman
Muhammad Usman, a resident of Khairpur, left Hinduism to embrace Islam. What should have been a moment of spiritual fulfillment turned into a five-year-long ordeal as NADRA refused to issue him a national identity card. Without an identity card, he cannot access fundamental rights such as employment, healthcare, or even travel freely within his own country.
NADRA’s officials have made the process deliberately cumbersome, citing arbitrary requirements such as providing proof of blood relations—something impossible for converts who often face abandonment from their families after embracing Islam. Usman, like many others, remains stateless in his own homeland, forced to live without legal recognition simply because he accepted Islam.
Watch Usman’s video statement
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19A6Loie8E/
Systemic Discrimination Against Converts
Usman’s case is not an isolated incident. Many others who convert to Islam face similar bureaucratic hurdles, making it nearly impossible for them to obtain national identity documents. The process is intentionally drawn out, forcing many to give up or live in a state of legal nonexistence. This discrimination directly contradicts the fundamental rights enshrined in the Pakistani Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion.
While NADRA readily issues identity documents to Afghan refugees and illegal migrants, it refuses to facilitate those who genuinely accept Islam. The double standards are alarming. If a foreign national can obtain legal recognition, why are native-born citizens denied their rights simply for following their faith?
Silence of the State and Religious Leaders
What makes this situation even worse is the deafening silence of Pakistan’s government and religious clerics. Politicians who claim to champion Islam remain indifferent, while so-called religious leaders—who are quick to take up other issues in the name of faith—turn a blind eye to the struggles of converts. The same clerics who guided Usman through his conversion are now nowhere to be found when he needs support the most.
Pakistan’s religious and political leadership has repeatedly failed to protect those who accept Islam. Their inaction raises serious questions: Are they truly concerned about Islam, or do they only exploit religion for political and financial gains?
Urgent Reforms Needed
This systemic discrimination must end. NADRA’s policies must be reformed to accommodate religious converts fairly. Instead of making them go through years of suffering, the state should streamline the process and provide immediate legal recognition to those who embrace Islam.
Islam guarantees dignity and respect to every believer, yet in Pakistan, converts are treated as second-class citizens. It is time to hold NADRA, the government, and religious institutions accountable for failing those who simply seek to practice their faith with dignity.
The question remains: Why does Islamic Pakistan make it so difficult for someone to become a Muslim?
