EGN NEWS DESK
(CP) The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom once more has really useful that the State Department designate Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing the nation’s blasphemy legal guidelines as a chief supply spiritual freedom violations.
The U.S. State Department doesn’t settle for all USCIRF suggestions in its annual designation of nations that apply or tolerate egregious spiritual freedom violations, nevertheless it has designated Pakistan as a CPC yearly since 2018.
Pakistan continues to witness widespread abuses of spiritual freedom, together with blasphemy legal guidelines, compelled conversions of minority women, and focused violence towards spiritual minorities, based on the 2024 USCIRF report.
The blasphemy legal guidelines, notably Sections 295-A, B, and C of the Pakistan Penal Code, have been criticized for broad and imprecise provisions typically misused to settle private scores or goal individuals of minority religions within the 96% Muslim nation. The USCIRF report paperwork quite a few instances of people, together with Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis, being falsely accused and imprisoned below these legal guidelines.
The mere accusation of blasphemy can result in mob violence, extrajudicial killings, and mass protests, making a local weather of concern and intimidation, the USCIRF famous. The latest high-profile case of Zohaib Masih, a younger Christian who was wrongfully detained and tortured on false blasphemy fees, exemplifies the continued misuse of those legal guidelines, it acknowledged.
The report additionally highlighted compelled conversions, notably affecting younger Christian and Hindu women who’re kidnapped, forcibly transformed to Islam, and married off to their abductors. These incidents typically go unpunished attributable to societal and institutional biases.
In addition, the USCIRF report pointed to quite a few cases of focused violence towards spiritual minorities. Attacks on locations of worship, together with church buildings, temples, and Ahmadi mosques, proceed to be a critical concern. The lack of sufficient authorities response and safety for these communities exacerbates the state of affairs, it famous.
The USCIRF urged the State Department to designate Pakistan as a CPC, which might topic the nation to potential sanctions and different diplomatic measures geared toward bettering spiritual freedom situations. The fee additionally really useful elevated U.S. help for civil society organizations working to advertise spiritual tolerance and human rights in Pakistan.
In the latest CPC designations, Pakistan joined Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan on the listing of the nations that the majority apply or tolerate violations of spiritual freedom.
The Pakistani authorities has typically dismissed such studies as biased and politically motivated. USCIRF insisted, nonetheless, that its findings are primarily based on thorough investigations and credible sources, urging Pakistan to undertake vital authorized and coverage reforms to deal with the violations.
The USCIRF advice drew reactions from worldwide and home observers as church leaders and rights organizations welcomed the report, calling for fast motion to guard spiritual minorities in Pakistan. Church of Pakistan President Azad Marshall mentioned that the report adequately displays the grim state of affairs of spiritual minorities in Pakistan.
“The worldwide neighborhood mustn’t solely push Pakistan to deal with these points but in addition help it in any manner doable,” Marshall advised Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “We desire a safe, free and truthful setting for spiritual minorities in Pakistan, and it’s the duty of the state to meet this constitutional obligation.”
Pakistani officers, nonetheless, criticized the USCIRF advice, arguing that it overlooks the efforts made by the federal government to advertise interfaith concord and shield minority rights.
“We are dedicated to making sure the security and rights of all our residents,” mentioned a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs. “We reject any biased assessments that ignore our progress.”
Samson Salamat, chairman of advocacy group Rawadari Tehreek (Movement for Equality), rejected the federal government’s stance, saying that repeated acts of mob violence within the identify of Islam and continued persecution of minorities contradicted the federal government’s narrative.
“The USCIRF’s advice to designate Pakistan as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ underscores the pressing want for addressing extreme spiritual freedom violations within the nation,” Salamat advised Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
He mentioned that there was alarming improve in blasphemy allegations in recent times. This has additionally resulted in violent assaults on Christian settlements and people, he added.
Spike in blasphemy instances
Hundreds of individuals in Pakistan had been incarcerated on blasphemy fees in 2023, many on the idea of a mere accusation with out proof, with 552 detained in jails in Punjab Province alone, based on a latest report by Lahore-based Center for Social Justice.
Moreover, not less than 103 individuals have been charged with blasphemy between January and June of this yr, it famous.
Government knowledge submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Committee offered an exponential improve in blasphemy instances over 4 years — a 30% bounce from 2019 to 2020, and an additional spike of 62% from 2021 to 2023, based on the report. The authorities report acknowledged that 53% of all complaints had been false allegations (398).
The authorities knowledge about complaints from 2018 to 2023 acknowledged that the conviction fee below blasphemy legal guidelines was round 1%, with seven acquittals towards each single conviction. Nevertheless, all convictions to this point have been overturned by the excessive courts and supreme courts of Pakistan, indicating that even 1% of convictions lacked advantage.
Muslims accounted for 98.40% of these accused of blasphemy, the report acknowledged.
About 100 people have been killed in reference to blasphemy allegations since 1987, together with 63 Muslims, 26 Christians, seven Ahmadis, one Hindu, one Buddhist, and the faith of two others was unknown.
The CSJ report additionally famous the upsurge in religiously-motivated killings and lynching prior to now two years.
“In 2023, not less than six individuals or people had been killed by personal individuals after the alleged blasphemy accusations,” the report added. “Along with two extrajudicial killings, one other three individuals alleged of blasphemy died in jail between June 2023 and 2024. Hence, a complete of 11 individuals alleged of blasphemy have misplaced their lives prior to now 18 months, together with the newest incident in Madyan, Swat.”
The CSJ report additionally criticized giving the Federal Investigation Agency powers to analyze cybercrimes associated to blasphemy legal guidelines, in addition to empowering anti-terrorism courts to prosecute instances below Section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code.
“This has resulted in abuse of authority and miscarriage of justice,” the report acknowledged. “Therefore, an exponential improve within the variety of alleged blasphemy instances with FIA. On the opposite hand, the perpetrators of mob violence specifically get away with via the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.”
Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of essentially the most troublesome locations to be a Christian, because it was the earlier yr.
© Christian Daily International–Morning Star News
