Pakistan rejects US State Department’s 2023 Human Rights Report
‘Report's failure to address rights violations in Gaza, IIOJK deeply concerning’
Islamabad: Pakistan has outrightly rejected the 2023 Country Report on human rights practices issued by the US State Department.
Describing the contents of the report as unfair and based on inaccurate information, Pakistan in a strong statement released on Thursday asserted that it is divorced from the ground reality.
The annual exercise by the US State Department to prepare such reports lacks objectivity, according to Pakistan, and remains inherently flawed in methodology. These reports, Pakistan contends, utilize a domestic social lens to judge human rights in other countries, resulting in politically biased assessments.
Pakistan particularly criticizes this year’s report for its lack of objectivity and politicization of the international human rights agenda, accusing it of double standards that undermine the discourse on human rights. The report’s failure to address urgent human rights violations in regions like Gaza and Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir is deeply concerning to Pakistan.
Highlighting the situation in Gaza, Pakistan points out the alleged silence of the United States on what it terms as the “continuing genocide,” contrasting it with the objectives behind the issuance of such country reports on human rights.
Despite its rejection of the US State Department’s report, Pakistan reaffirms its commitment to strengthening its own human rights framework and constructively engaging to promote the international human rights agenda. It calls for fairness and objectivity in international human rights discourse.
Pakistan urges the US State Department to exercise due diligence in assessing complex issues, demonstrating objectivity, impartiality, and responsibility in finalizing such reports. It calls for moral courage in speaking the truth about all situations and playing a constructive role in supporting international efforts to address gross human rights violations in urgent hotspots.
