#Pakistan on special US watch list

The US government has kept Pakistan on a special watch list for severe violations of religious freedom. Pakistan for the first time appeared on the list in 2018. This year, Pakistan was retained among the countries that tolerate religious discrimination. The placement on the list for violations of religious freedom can lead to economic sanctions. Other countries sharing space with Pakistan on the list of ‘Countries of Particular Concerns’ are Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Pakistan has already been facing severe actions from the US such as the suspension of military aid and withholding of coalition support funds for ‘Pakistan’s failure to meet US expectations and follow its do more slogans’.

Last time, when Pakistan was placed on religious freedom violation list, then-ambassador to the United States Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry seemed clueless about the challenge and asked the US government to clarify about the special watch list and what “severe violations of religious freedom” had prompted Washington to take such an extreme measure. The US State Department, however, did not mention the methodology of its annual practice, undertaken under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The US states: “These designations underscore the United States’ commitment to protect those who seek to exercise their freedom of religion or belief. We believe that everyone, everywhere, at all times, should have the right to live according to the dictates of their conscience. We will continue to challenge state and non-state entities that seek to infringe upon those fundamental rights and to ensure they are held to account for their actions.”

The US list conveniently ignores Indian actions against its religious minorities. But this is the time we had better put our own house in order. Though on the government level, measures have been ensured for the protection of human rights and religious freedoms, at the public level, one can see people are being persecuted and killed for their religious beliefs. Minorities are routinely killed and persecuted. Pakistan needs to ensure religious freedom and that can only be done through beating extremism and terrorism. There is no other way out.

https://dailytimes.com.pk/524688/pakistan-on-special-us-watch-list/