Pakistan rejects US designation on religious freedom blacklist

Pakistan rejects US designation on religious freedom blacklist as arbitrary and selective.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Office rejected the United States’ designation of Pakistan among “countries of particular concern.

Pakistan rejects US designation on religious freedom blacklist

Furthermore, the FO termed it an arbitrary and selective assessment.

In a statement, the FO turned down the designation as completely against the realities on the ground.

While citing the glaring omission of India from the blacklist, it said the US report raised doubts about the credibility of the process.

Moreover, FO statement said such subjective designations do not contribute towards promoting the cause of religious freedom worldwide.

It also regretted that the United States had overlooked the “fact that Pakistan and the US have been constructively engaging on the subject at the bilateral level”.

A day earlier, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced that the US had designated Pakistan, China, Iran and other countries under that list.

US designates Pakistan as countries of particular concern among others

Moreover, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo also named Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Nigeria, North Korea, Myanmar and Eritrea among CPC.

Pompeo’s statement accused these countries of “engaging in or tolerating “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom”.

Meanwhile, he also announced placing the Comoros, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Russia on a special watch list.

The US named them in watch list as governments that engage in or tolerated “severe violations of religious freedom”.

عراق کے خلاف سعودی عرب کی نئی سازشیں