ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday rejected its designation by the United States (US) among countries of “particular concern” over religious freedom violations and said it was ‘deeply dismayed’ by the move.
The State Department last week designated Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia and some other states as countries of particular concern for “having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”
It called on governments to end abuses such as attacks on members of religious minority communities and their places of worship, communal violence and lengthy imprisonment for peaceful expression and transnational repression.
In a statement issued on Monday, Pakistan’s foreign office said the US decision was based on “biased and arbitrary assessment, detached from ground realities.”
“Pakistan is a pluralistic country, with a rich tradition of interfaith harmony,” the foreign office said. “In line with its Constitution, Pakistan has undertaken wide-ranging measures to promote religious freedom and protect minority rights. ”
Islamabad noted that India had once again been excluded from the State Department list despite a clear recommendation by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as well as public concerns raised by international human rights bodies about India’s “maltreatment” of religious minorities.
In December, the US religious freedom watchdog had again called on the Biden administration to designate India as a “country of particular concern” under the US Religious Freedom Act, saying “recent efforts by the Indian government to silence activists, journalists, and lawyers abroad pose a serious threat to religious freedom.”
“This conspicuous omission raises serious questions about the credibility, transparency and objectivity of the entire process,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
“We remain convinced that such discriminatory, unilateral and subjective exercises are counterproductive and undermine our shared objective to advance religious freedom globally.”
Islamabad said it strongly believed that the contemporary challenges of religious intolerance, xenophobia and Islamophobia could be best countered through constructive engagement and collective efforts based on “mutual understanding and respect.”
Pakistan’s concerns about the designation were being conveyed to the US, the foreign office added.
