Pakistan concerned over removal of India from list of countries of special concern
Islamabad: Pakistan has expressed its concern over the removal of India from the list of countries of special concern by the US State Department, which has committed widespread and continuous violations of religious freedom.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in a statement issued on Monday said, “We note with deep concern that India, the biggest and serial violator of religious freedom, has once again been excluded from the US State Department’s designation list. This is despite clear recommendations by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as well as public concerns raised by international human rights constituencies about India’s maltreatment of religious minorities. This conspicuous omission raises serious questions about the credibility, transparency and objectivity of the entire process.”
She said that Pakistan remained convinced that such discriminatory, unilateral and subjective exercises were counterproductive and undermined the shared objective to advance religious freedom globally.
“Pakistan strongly believes that the contemporary challenge of religious intolerance, xenophobia and Islamophobia can be best countered through constructive engagement and collective efforts based on mutual understanding and respect. With a similar spirit, Pakistan has bilaterally engaged the US,” the spokesperson added.
She categorically rejected Pakistan’s designation as “a Country of Particular Concern” by the United States State Department, calling it “detached from ground realities”.
“We are deeply dismayed that the designation is based on biased and arbitrary assessment, detached from ground realities,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson maintained.
