(CP) The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom again has advisable that the State Department designate Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing the country’s blasphemy laws as a chief source religious freedom violations.
The U.S. State Department doesn’t accept all USCIRF recommendations in its annual designation of nations that practice or tolerate egregious religious freedom violations, nevertheless it has designated Pakistan as a CPC every yr since 2018.
Pakistan continues to witness widespread abuses of spiritual freedom, including blasphemy laws, forced conversions of minority girls, and targeted violence against religious minorities, in accordance with the 2024 USCIRF report.Â
The blasphemy laws, particularly Sections 295-A, B, and C of the Pakistan Penal Code, have been criticized for broad and vague provisions often misused to settle personal scores or goal people of minority religions within the 96% Muslim country. The USCIRF report documents quite a few cases of people, including Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis, being falsely accused and imprisoned under these laws.
The mere accusation of blasphemy can result in mob violence, extrajudicial killings, and mass protests, making a climate of fear and intimidation, the USCIRF noted. The recent high-profile case of Zohaib Masih, a young Christian who was wrongfully detained and tortured on false blasphemy charges, exemplifies the continuing misuse of those laws, it stated.
The report also highlighted forced conversions, particularly affecting young Christian and Hindu girls who’re abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to their abductors. These incidents often go unpunished as a result of societal and institutional biases.
In addition, the USCIRF report pointed to quite a few instances of targeted violence against religious minorities. Attacks on places of worship, including churches, temples, and Ahmadi mosques, proceed to be a serious concern. The lack of adequate government response and protection for these communities exacerbates the situation, it noted.
The USCIRF urged the State Department to designate Pakistan as a CPC, which might subject the country to potential sanctions and other diplomatic measures aimed toward improving religious freedom conditions. The commission also advisable increased U.S. support for civil society organizations working to advertise religious tolerance and human rights in Pakistan.
In probably the most recent 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 list of the countries that the majority practice or tolerate violations of spiritual freedom.
The Pakistani government has often dismissed such reports as biased and politically motivated. USCIRF insisted, nonetheless, that its findings are based on thorough investigations and credible sources, urging Pakistan to undertake significant legal and policy reforms to deal with the violations.
The USCIRF suggestion drew reactions from international and domestic observers as church leaders and rights organizations welcomed the report, calling for immediate motion to guard religious minorities in Pakistan. Church of Pakistan President Azad Marshall said that the report adequately reflects the grim situation of spiritual minorities in Pakistan.
“The international community shouldn’t only push Pakistan to deal with these issues but in addition support it in any way possible,” Marshall told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “We desire a secure, free and fair environment for religious minorities in Pakistan, and it’s the responsibility of the state to satisfy this constitutional duty.”
Pakistani officials, nonetheless, criticized the USCIRF suggestion, arguing that it overlooks the efforts made by the federal government to advertise interfaith harmony and protect minority rights.
“We are committed to making sure the protection and rights of all our residents,” said 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 name of Islam and continued persecution of minorities contradicted the federal government’s narrative.
“The USCIRF’s suggestion to designate Pakistan as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ underscores the urgent need for addressing severe religious freedom violations within the country,” Salamat told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
He said that there was alarming increase in blasphemy allegations lately. This has also resulted in violent attacks on Christian settlements and individuals, he added.
Spike in blasphemy cases
Hundreds of individuals in Pakistan were incarcerated on blasphemy charges in 2023, many on the premise of a mere accusation without evidence, with 552 detained in jails in Punjab Province alone, in accordance with a recent report by Lahore-based Center for Social Justice.
Moreover, at the least 103 people have been charged with blasphemy between January and June of this yr, it noted.
Government data submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Committee presented an exponential increase in blasphemy cases over 4 years — a 30% jump from 2019 to 2020, and an extra spike of 62% from 2021 to 2023, in accordance with the report. The government report acknowledged that 53% of all complaints were false allegations (398).
The government data about complaints from 2018 to 2023 acknowledged that the conviction rate under blasphemy laws was around 1%, with seven acquittals against each conviction. Nevertheless, all convictions to date have been overturned by the high courts and supreme courts of Pakistan, indicating that even 1% of convictions lacked merit.
Muslims accounted for 98.40% of those accused of blasphemy, the report stated.
About 100 individuals have been killed in reference to blasphemy allegations since 1987, including 63 Muslims, 26 Christians, seven Ahmadis, one Hindu, one Buddhist, and the faith of two others was unknown.
The CSJ report also noted the upsurge in religiously-motivated killings and lynching up to now two years.
“In 2023, at the least six individuals or individuals were killed by private 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 lost their lives up to now 18 months, including the newest incident in Madyan, Swat.”
The CSJ report also criticized giving the Federal Investigation Agency powers to analyze cybercrimes related to blasphemy laws, in addition to empowering anti-terrorism courts to prosecute cases under Section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code.
“This has resulted in abuse of authority and miscarriage of justice,” the report stated. “Therefore, an exponential increase within the variety of alleged blasphemy cases with FIA. On the opposite hand, the perpetrators of mob violence particularly get away with through the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.”
Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of probably the most difficult places to be a Christian, because it was the previous yr.
