Pakistan rejects US blacklist for religious freedom violations
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday rejected Washington’s decision to place it on a blacklist of countries that violate religious freedom, branding the move “politically motivated” and defending its treatment of minorities.
The US move to designate Pakistan “among countries of particular concern” comes at a difficult time for relations between the nations, with the Trump administration accusing Islamabad of failing to act against militants on its soil.
“Pakistan does not need counsel by any individual country (on) how to protect the rights of its minorities,” a statement from the foreign ministry said, adding that Islamabad “rejects” the designation.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the move to blacklist Pakistan in a congressionally mandated annual report released on Tuesday.
The measure means the US government is obliged to exert pressure, including imposing sanctions if necessary, to end freedom violations.
However, a spokesman with the US Embassy in Islamabad clarified on Wednesday that Pompeo had issued a waiver over potential sanctions against Pakistan as required by “the important national interest of the United States”.
Blasphemy is an inflammatory charge in Pakistan. In October, a Pakistani court exonerated Asia
The US move to designate Pakistan “among countries of particular concern” comes at a difficult time for relations between the nations
Bibi, a Christian woman who had spent eight years on death row for blasphemy.
She remains in protective custody in an unknown location after violent protests against her acquittal, and a hardline cleric has been charged with terrorism and sedition over the demonstrations.
Bibi is currently seeking asylum abroad. Her family claims her life will be in danger if she remains in Pakistan. The foreign ministry statement did not mention Bibi, or the issue of blasphemy.
“Pakistan is a multi-religious and pluralistic society where people of diverse faiths and denominations live together,” it said.
It also warned that honesty would have required Washington to examine the “exponential rise in Islamophobia and anti-semitism in the US”.
Pakistan says around four per cent of its total population comprises citizens belonging to Christian, Hindu, Buddhists and Sikh faiths.