Key Points

"Pakistan, home to the ancient Gandhara region where Buddhism thrived for centuries, now stands as a paradox: it carries the remnants of a world-renowned Buddhist past while offering little space or dignity to its surviving Buddhist community. As 2025 unfolds, the plight of Pakistan’s Buddhists and the crumbling state of their sacred heritage tell a story not of reverence, but of abandonment and marginalisation," a report in Myanmar-based Mizzima said.

The Gandhara civilisation, in what is now northern Pakistan, was once a luminous chapter in Buddhist history. Monasteries flourished in Taxila, Swat, and Peshawar, and stupas towered above centres of commerce and education. Pilgrims and academics from China also travelled to Gandhara for learning and to carry the knowledge back home. The report said: "That world, however, lies buried under the sands of time, dismantled by waves of conquest, religious transformation, and, later, systemic neglect. While the ruins remain, they are treated more as archaeological curiosities than living symbols of faith."

"The Buddhist community in Pakistan is almost invisible. Estimates place their numbers in the low thousands, scattered and often afraid to declare their faith openly. Many practice in secrecy, fearing social ostracism or outright persecution in a society where religious minorities struggle to secure even basic rights. For decades, Pakistan’s religious climate has been defined by intolerance and pressure on minorities, from Hindus and Christians to Ahmadis and Sikhs. Buddhists, by virtue of their small numbers and lack of institutional backing, have been left especially vulnerable. What was once a vibrant community deeply interwoven with the subcontinent’s cultural fabric has withered into near-extinction, surviving only as a silent remnant," Sun Lee, a pseudonym of a writer who covers Asia and geopolitical affairs, wrote in the Mizzima report.

Accounts from Buddhist families in Sindh and other areas of Pakistan demonstrate the deep insecurity faced by the community. Many even hide their religious identity, often posing as followers of other faiths to avoid harassment. Social discrimination is exacerbated by economic exclusion, as they get few opportunities, and those who embrace their identity risk losing even the limited privileges they are offered. Pakistan has consistently highlighted its historical richness by presenting Indus Valley relics and Mughal structures as symbols of its heritage. However, the Buddhist legacy has been marginalised in Pakistan.

"The condition of Buddhists and their sacred spaces in Pakistan is not merely a matter of heritage preservation; it is symptomatic of the broader intolerance that defines the state’s treatment of minorities. When a community is reduced to invisibility, and when the symbols of its history are left to decay, the message is clear: certain faiths are not welcome, and certain pasts are not worth preserving. In this light, the plight of Buddhists in Pakistan is inseparable from the plight of other marginalised groups. The erosion of Buddhist identity is one thread in a larger tapestry of exclusion that undermines pluralism and entrenches a monolithic narrative of nationhood," the report said.

- IANS