WASHINGTON: Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan said the Pakistani government was taking all measures to curb religious intolerance and stem the abuse of blasphemy laws.
The Pakistani ambassador said this while addressing an event related to interfaith dialogue hosted by the Embassy of Pakistan “to build bridges of understanding” in Washington DC, US.
The event was attended by diplomats, leaders representing different religious groups, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and United States Institute of Peace (USIP)’s representatives as well as members of think tanks and civil society.
According to the embassy, the dialogue focused on fostering harmony and peace among different religious communities and assimilated societies.
It should be noted that the US Department of Statereleased its annual report on international religious freedom, highlighting serious concerns about the treatment of religious minorities in Pakistan and some other countries. The report highlighted the discrimination faced by the minority groups in those countries.
As per the State Department report, in 2023, 329 individuals were accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, with 75% being Muslims, 20% Ahmadis, and 3.3% Christians.
The same year the Federal Investigation Agency arrested 140 people over blasphemy allegations on social media, with 11 sentenced to death and two of these sentences confirmed by higher courts.
Violent attacks by armed sectarian groups targeted religious gatherings and buildings. These often anonymous attackers victimised members of the Hindu, Christian, Ahmadi, Sikh, Sunni, and Shia communities.
“On December 29, 2023, the Secretary of State redesignated Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, as amended, for having engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom and issued a waiver of the sanctions that accompany the designation in the national interest of the United States. Pakistan was first designated a CPC in 2018,” it said.
During the interfaith dialogue, Ambassador Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to fostering unity and strengthening intersocietal bonds.”Such gatherings,” he stated, “provide a platform for broader perspectives about each other’s faith.” He urged participants to focus on commonalities and tear down barriers that divide us.
