Pakistan rejects U.S. decision to keep it in religious freedom blacklist

Pakistan rejects the U.S. State Department’s unilateral and arbitrary designation under the religious freedom report announced on last Friday.

In a statement today, the Foreign Office Spokesperson said this pronouncement is not only detached from ground realities of Pakistan but also raises questions about the credibility and transparency of the entire exercise.

She said the designation is reflective of selective targeting of countries, and thus unlikely to be helpful to the professed cause of advancing religious freedom.

The Spokesperson said Pakistan is a multi-religious and pluralistic country where people of all faiths enjoy religious freedom under constitutional protections.

She said all branches the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary have made concerted efforts to ensure that all citizens of Pakistan, irrespective of faith, denomination, caste or creed, can profess and practice their religion in full freedom.

The designation, it added, is reflective of selective targeting of countries, and thus is unlikely to be helpful to the professed cause of advancing religious freedom.

“Pakistan is a multi-religious and pluralistic country where people of all faiths enjoy religious freedom under constitutional protections,” the statement said.

“The subjectivity and bias of the State Department’s designations are further illustrated by the conspicuous omission of India, the biggest violator of religious freedom,” it added, referring to a controversial citizenship bill that sparked nationwide protests across India.