A coalition of 17 international human rights organizations is demanding Pakistan be suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations due its blasphemy laws and other rights violations, but local activists said that might end in more hardship for religious minorities.
The coalition sent an open letter to the Commonwealth Secretariat ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa Oct. 21-26, signed by groups including Human Rights Without Frontiers, Bitter Winter, the European Association for the Defense of Minorities, the Center for Studies on Freedom of Religion Belief and Conscience, the European Federation for Freedom of Belief and Jubilee Campaign.
It emphasizes how the country’s controversial blasphemy laws have been used to falsely accuse and persecute people, resulting in widespread violence, extrajudicial killings and illegal detentions. The letter argues that these actions violate the core values of the Commonwealth Charter, which promotes democracy, human rights and equality for all residents.
The letter highlights Pakistan’s failure to reform its blasphemy laws, stating that while no state-sanctioned executions have occurred, vigilante justice and mob violence have grow to be rampant. It cites no less than 85 cases of individuals accused of blasphemy being murdered before their cases could possibly be heard in court, with a lot of involving public lynchings and mob attacks.
“The Pakistani government’s inaction has resulted within the deaths of many innocent people, and its refusal to reform these oppressive laws contradicts the values espoused by the Commonwealth,” stated Willy Fautré, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers.
The letter stresses that law enforcement officials often turn a blind eye to those crimes, which further emboldens perpetrators of violence. It also recalls Pakistan’s previous suspensions from the Commonwealth – first from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2007 to 2008 – as a result of problems with governance and human rights abuses.
Stating that the present situation warrants similar decisive motion, the signatories called on the Commonwealth to pressure Pakistan into ending its institutional persecution of spiritual minorities and taking steps to guard residents from unjust accusations and violence.
“The Commonwealth cannot stand by as one in every of its member states systematically violates the rights of its people,” stated Alessandro Amicarelli, chairman of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief. “Suspending Pakistan is a crucial step to uphold the organization’s commitment to human rights.”
Despite international condemnation and mounting pressure, the federal government of Pakistan has resisted calls to amend its blasphemy laws or introduce safeguards to guard religious minorities, it said, adding that the continuation of those laws poses a serious threat not only to non secular minorities but to Pakistan’s standing as a member of the Commonwealth.
Opposition to Suspension
Human rights and social activists in Pakistan said suspension of Pakistan from the Commonwealth of Nations was unlikely to curb human rights abuses within the country.
Instead, it could have negative implications for religious minorities, they said.
Minorities Alliance Pakistan (MAP) Chairman Akmal Bhatti said human rights in Pakistan have deteriorated to an alarming level, “but any suspension or sanctions on Pakistan would ultimately hurt the vulnerable communities.”
“Pakistan is already facing huge economic challenges, and any international motion on behalf of spiritual minorities that ends in economic implications on the country would have negative impact on the people, especially the poor Christian community,” Bhatti told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
Such an motion could also affect advocacy efforts in Pakistan, he said.
“Several churches and Christian organizations are already facing problems in receiving foreign funding as a result of stringent monitoring by the federal government,” Bhatti said. “Suspension of Pakistan on the idea of its human rights record will cause more harm than good to our people.”
The international community should pressure Pakistan through dialogue to enhance the situation on the bottom, he said.
“The government must be pressured to curb false allegations of blasphemy and prosecute perpetrators of mob violence; it must also criminalize forced conversions of minority girls and make sure the protection of its religious minorities,” he said.
Samson Salamat, chairman of the Rwadari Tehreek (Movement for Equality), echoed Bhatti’s concerns regarding the open letter.
“It is unlucky and depressing that the state apparatus and the responsible government functionaries within the successive governments have failed to grasp the extent of threat the blasphemy laws have brought on to the residents, particularly those belonging to the minority communities,” Salamat told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Everyone in Pakistan is compelled to live a lifetime of fear.”
Salamat said that pleas of spiritual minorities’ leadership to the state have fallen on deaf ears.
“Our only hope is pressure exerted by the international community, media, and human rights bodies,” he said. “However, we’re also apprehensive that this open letter may end in the targeting of energetic leadership of the religious minorities by the federal government and state agencies.”
Naeem Yousaf Gill, executive director of the Catholic church’s human rights advocacy arm, the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), said that suspension of Pakistan’s membership couldn’t guarantee a halt to the misuse of blasphemy laws and violations of minorities’ rights.
“The need is to pressure the federal government of Pakistan to own its minorities as first-class residents,” Gill said. “It should take strict motion against any violation of their rights and will make sure that they’re having fun with an equal and higher life in Pakistan.”
