As of the 2017 Census, Muslims make up 96.5% of Pakistan’s population, while non-Muslims, including Ahmadis and Christians, make up just 3.5%. Extremist Sunni religious groups like Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) play a central role in fuelling religious violence in Pakistan. Both TLP and LeJ manipulate religious narratives to incite anger and spread hatred toward other faiths among poorly educated or uninformed individuals, turning them into instruments of mob violence. Although a recognised sect within Islam, Shias, especially Hazaras, face severe hatred and violence from extremist Sunni groups. Although targets differ — Ahmadis, Christians, Shi’a or Hazara — the underlying drivers of violence share common threads.