ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Foreign Office on Saturday rejected Indian allegations of mistreatment of minorities in Pakistan, calling New Delhi a “serial violator of those very rights.”
The statement came in response to Indian Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s remarks in parliament about “crimes and atrocities against minorities” in Pakistan.
Jaishankar said they “follow very closely and track the treatment of minorities in Pakistan,” and there were 10 cases of “atrocities” against the Hindu community in Feb., English-language daily Hindustan Times reported.
In response, the Pakistani Foreign Office said New Delhi was in no position to champion minority rights as it remained a serial violator of those very rights in India.
“In Pakistan, state institutions actively work to safeguard minorities as a matter of policy,” it said. “In stark contrast, incidents targeting minorities in India frequently occur with the tacit approval — or even complicity — of elements within the ruling dispensation.”
The two countries traded barbs days after a US panel on religious freedom said the treatment of minorities in Pakistan and India was “deteriorating,” recommending sanctions be imposed on the former’s officials and government agencies and the latter’s external spy agency over its alleged involvement in plots to assassinate Sikh separatists.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a bipartisan US government advisory body that monitors religious freedom abroad and makes policy recommendations, said this in its annual report on Wednesday.
Archrivals Pakistan and India routinely level similar accusations against each other, but both countries have often failed to safeguard minority rights and protect them against various attacks.
“Pakistan is a country where human rights abuses, the persecution of minorities, and the systematic erosion of democratic values are state policies,” Jaishankar said during the parliamentary session on Friday.
The Pakistani Foreign Office responded by saying that the “systematic promotion of hatred, discrimination, and violence against minorities in India is well-documented,” citing the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2002 Gujarat massacre, 2020 Delhi pogrom, 1992 demolition of Babri Mosque and other incidents.
“Rather than feigning concern for minorities elsewhere, the Indian government would do well to address its own failures,” it said. “It must take concrete steps to ensure the safety, protection, and well-being of minorities — including Muslims — and safeguard their places of worship, cultural heritage, and fundamental rights.”
Pakistan fires back at India over allegations of mistreatment of minorities
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Pakistan fires back at India over allegations of mistreatment of minorities
- Indian FM Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said there were 10 cases of “atrocities” against the Hindu community in Pakistan last month
- Islamabad says ‘systematic promotion of hatred, discrimination, and violence against minorities’ is well-documented in India
Pakistan slashes power tariff for industries by Rs4.4 per unit to spur growth
- The development comes as Pakistan navigates a long path to economic recovery under a $7 billion IMF program
- The reduction in electricity tariffs will allow exporters to offer more competitive prices, increase profits margins
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday announced a Rs4.4 cut electricity tariffs for industrial consumers, saying the move is aimed at lowering production costs and spurring economic activity in Pakistan.
Sharif made the announcement while addressing businessmen and exporters at a ceremony in Islamabad, at which he presented awards to business figures who made significant contributions to the national economy.
He said the government would devise all future economic policies in consultation with the business community and there was no alternative to export-driven economic growth.
“Four rupees and four paisas per unit are being reduced in electricity tariffs for industry,” the prime minister announced at the ceremony.
“If it were up to me, I would reduce it by another 10 rupees, but my hands are tied.”
The development comes as Pakistan, which has long struggled with boom-bust cycles, seeks to boost foreign investment and increase exports, navigating a long path to economic recovery under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
The reduction in electricity tariffs for industrial consumers is expected to lower production costs that will allow exporters to offer more competitive prices in international markets, increase profit margins and encourage higher capacity utilization at factories.
The prime minister announced lowering wheeling charges for industry by Rs9 per unit, noting the country’s economy had stabilized, inflation had come down to single digits and the policy rate stood at 10.5 percent.
In Pakistan, wheeling charges are fees paid by electricity consumers and generators to use the national grid’s transmission and distribution network to move electricity from suppliers to end-users under the Competitive Trading Bilateral Contracts Market (CTBCM).
“I think this should help you sell your power to neighboring industries,” he told businesspersons at the event.
