Islamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday rejected as “unilateral and politically motivated” the US’ decision to place it on its annual list of nations that infringe on religious freedom.
Earlier on Tuesday the United States has designated Pakistan as one of the Countries of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for having engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, (and) egregious violations of religious freedom”.
The US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo made the announcement on December 11, where he stated that Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, along with Pakistan have been designated under the Act.
Responding to this the Foreign Office of Pakistan in its statement said, “Pakistan rejects the US State Department’s unilateral and politically motivated pronouncement released in the context of its annual religious freedom report.”
“Besides the clear biases reflected from these designations, there are serious questions on the credentials and impartiality of the self-proclaimed jury involved in this unwarranted exercise, Pakistan is a multi-religious and pluralistic society where people of diverse faiths and denominations live together, including around 4 per cent of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs, the statement said.