ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Wednesday rejected the US State Department’s moveto add the country to its blacklist of countries that violate religiousfreedom as “unilateral and politically motivated”.

According to diplomatic sources, the US officials were summoned at theForeign Office and handed over a protest letter.

Pakistan told the officials that minorities enjoy full religious freedom inthe country and that it does not need a lecture on minority rights from theUS, sources said.

Moreover, Pakistan asked the US how it could ignore Indian atrocities inJammu and Kashmir. State of minorities in occupied Kashmir was also ignoredby the US, sources quoted FO officials as saying.

The officials assured Pakistan of conveying its concerns to the USauthorities.