Pakistan on Wednesday rejected its designation on a US blacklist onreligious freedom saying it is “completely against the realities on theground.”
US Defense Secretary Mike Pompeo on Tuesday announced that Washington hasplaced Pakistan, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,Nigeria, North Korea, Myanmar and Eritrea on its “violators of religiousfreedom” list.
Islamabad said its “views in this regard” have been conveyed to Washington.
“Such subjective designations do not contribute towards promoting the causeof religious freedom worldwide,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in astatement.
Criticizing the list for ignoring India where minorities are beingspecifically targeted under the Narendra Modi government, the statementadded: “The glaring omission of India, where the RSS-BJP regime and theirleaders openly disregard religious freedom and discriminate againstminority communities in an institutionalized manner, is unfortunate andputs the credibility of the US report into question.”
Despite the defensive stance adoptive by Islamabad, the rights ofminorities in the country have been a cause of concern with many rightsgroup including Amnesty International urging the government to up its game.
In Pakistan, “blasphemy” allegations are often made on the basis of littleor no evidence, resulting in mob violence that has in more than oneinstances claimed lives.