*ISLAMABAD: **Pakistan strongly react against US over placing Islamabad inreligious freedom blacklist, taking India out.*
Islamabad has categorically rejected the US State Department’s “unilateraland arbitrary” decision of keeping Pakistan in its 2019 annual blacklistfor religious freedom violations.
Pakistan was kept in the list for a second year while India was ignored,despite its targeting of Muslims over cow slaughter allegations, occupiedKashmir lockdown and the latest citizenship act on communal lines.
Nine countries, including Pakistan, remained on the State Department’sannual list of “countries of particular concern” for having engaged in ortolerated “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom”.Sudan is the only nation removed from the blacklist.
Pakistan was designated in 2018 after years of US hesitation over concernson the treatment of minorities.
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According to the announcement made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,Pakistan’s name featured in the list of countries, which are subject tosanctions over religious liberty.
“This pronouncement is not only detached from ground realities of Pakistanbut also raises questions about the credibility and transparency of theentire exercise.
The designation is reflective of selective targeting of countries, and thusunlikely to be helpful to the professed cause of advancing religiousfreedom,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement on Tuesday.
