Pakistan on Tuesday rejected the US secretary of state Antony Blinken’s designation of the nation as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)” under the International Religious Freedom Act even though minority communities in the country allege they face threats to their freedom of worship and other religious rights.
“I have designated Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, the DPRK, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom,” US secretary of state Antony Blinken said last week in a press release.
Pakistan in its response said the nation is a “pluralistic country, with a rich tradition of interfaith harmony”. While ‘categorically rejecting’ the tag, Pakistan said it implemented “wide-ranging measures to promote religious freedom and protect minority rights”.
The Pakistan foreign office said the tag was “discriminatory, unilateral and subjective” and such steps undermine that shared goal of Islamabad and Washington to advance religious freedom globally.
“Pakistan strongly believes that the contemporary challenge of religious intolerance, xenophobia and Islamophobia can be best countered through constructive engagement and collective efforts based on mutual understanding and respect. With a similar spirit, Pakistan has bilaterally engaged the US. Pakistan’s concern about the designation is being conveyed to the US side,” the Pakistan foreign office said in its statement.
Pakistan has been criticised globally for not checking the usage of its archaic blasphemy laws which miscreants use for targeting religious minorities like Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Ahmaddiya Muslims and people belonging to other minority faiths.
Accusations of blasphemy were used by irate mobs to burn down a church and a Christian neighbourhood in Pakistan’s Faisalabad in August 2023. In 2021, irate mobs attacked a century-old temple in northwestern Pakistan after accusing a man of blasphemy. The lynching of Sri Lankan businessman Priyantha Kumara in Sialkot also led to global criticism of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
Forced conversions, kidnappings and forced marriages are also rampant in Pakistan with the government failing to take adequate action to stop these activities.
The US secretary of state also designated China as a nation of particular concern with respect to religious rights. Though it steered clear of citing any particular reason, China has been criticised for its treatment of the Uyghur population.
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