Pakistan has rejected its designation by the US amongst countries ofparticular concerns for religious freedom, terming it as arbitrary andselective assessment.
At his weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign OfficeSpokesperson Asim Iftikhar said the designation is completely against therealities on the ground and raises serious doubts about the credibility ofthis exercise. He said such subjective designations do not contributetowards promoting the cause of religious freedom.
The spokesperson said Pakistan and the US have been constructively engagingon the subject at the bilateral relation. This is a fact regrettablyoverlooked by the US.
Asim Iftikhar said Pakistani society is a multi-religious and pluralisticwith a rich tradition of interfaith harmony. He said religious freedom andthe protection of the rights of minorities are guaranteed by ourconstitution and ensured through a range of legislative, policy andadministrative measures.
Furthermore, the spokesperson noted with concerns the glaring omission ofIndia saying this puts the credibility of the US report into question.
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He pointed out that the RSS-BJP regime and their leaders openly disregardreligious freedom and discriminate against minority communities in aninstitutionalized manner. State complicity in organized violence againstthe Muslim minority in India is a matter of record. He said it is no secretthat attacks by cow vigilantes and mob lynching of Indian Muslims takeplace regularly with complete impunity for the perpetrators. He saidsystematic demonization, dispossession, marginalization and targetedviolence against Muslims in Hindutva inspired India has become commonplace.
The spokesperson stressed that redressal of the rising trend ofintolerance, discrimination, xenophobia and Islamophobia requires globalefforts based on the principles of cooperation and mutual understanding. Hesaid Pakistan is sincerely playing its part in this endeavor.
