US keeps Pakistan on list of religious freedom violators
The United States has placed Pakistan on a list of countries that “engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom” during 2022, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that governments and non-governmental forces around the world have harassed, intimidated, imprisoned and even killed many people on the basis of their beliefs and religions.
“There are many examples where people’s religious freedom has been suppressed to achieve political goals,” he added.
Blinken emphasized that such measures are divisive, undermine economic security and threaten peace, including political stability.
“United States will not stand with countries under such accusations,” he stressed.
“Today, I am announcing designations against Burma (Myanmar), the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, the DPRK (North Korea), Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom”.
He also added Algeria, the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Vietnam to a “special watch list” for engaging in or tolerating serious violations of religious freedom.
However, Pakistan has been on the watch list for several years before being added to the list of violators.
Former US President Donald Trump’s administration first included Pakistan in the list in December 2018 and maintained it until 2020, later the Joe Biden administration also included Pakistan in the same list with some changes.
