DefinePK

Abstract

Christian women in Lahore face multiple sources of marginalization due to discrimination based on gender as well as being a religious minority. Even though there are some legislative safeguards and constitutional guarantees, the real lives of such women reveal that they are vulnerable in a social, economic, and political sense. In this review article, the author identifies and critically analyses the country's efforts of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) governments, 2013-2022, in terms of legislating, policy, and institutions. It has drawn on secondary literature only and explores the sociopolitical issues that plague Christian women, the extent and execution of significant legislative actions, and impediments to effective empowerment. This review is premised on constructivist theory, hence providing a synthesis of reforms regarding the same and pointing out the traces of barriers to participation and inclusion, and the necessity of progressing to more valuable intersectional and contextually considerate legal and policy solutions that would enable the substantive empowerment of Christian women in Lahore.