WASHINGTGON: Violation of Religious Freedom in Pakistan is made by him governmentWhile in India, much of the violence is communal, said a senior US diplomat, explaining why Islamabad, and not New Delhi, has been designated as a country of particular concern by the United States.
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday it designated Pakistan and China, along with eight other countries that are of particular concern for engaging in or tolerating “systematic, continuous and egregious violations of religious freedom.”
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) had recommended the State Department to designate India also as a Country of Special Concern (CPC). In particular, the State Department did not accept the recommendation.
India has rejected the USCIRF’s observations against the country in its annual report.
“We reject the remarks about India in the USCIRF Annual Report. His biased and biased remarks against India are not new. But this time, his misrepresentation has reached new levels. He has been unable to bring in his own commissioners in his endeavor. , “said the Foreign Ministry spokesman in New Delhi in April in response to media inquiries on USCIRF Annual Report observations.
“We consider it an organization of particular concern and will treat it accordingly,” the spokesperson said.
On Tuesday, the United States Ambassador General for International Religious Freedom Samuel Brownback defended the action taken against Pakistan.
“(In) Pakistan: many of their actions (violations of religious freedom) are carried out by the government. In India, some of them are carried out by the government and the law that was passed, and much of the community violence. And then when that happens, we try to determine if there has been an effective police enforcement or not, a legal action after community violence occurs, “he told reporters during a conference call.
Brownback was responding to a question about why Pompeo designated Pakistan as a country of particular concern and not India. The top US diplomat said that half of the world’s people who are locked up for apostasy or blasphemy are in Pakistani jails.
“We just had a really difficult webinar this morning on forced brides to China, and one of the places of origin is Pakistani religious minorities, Christian and Hindu women who are trading as concubines or forced brides to China because they don’t there is effective support, and then there is discrimination against religious minorities that make them more vulnerable, ”he said.
“That does not mean that India does not have problems … Violence is a problem. We will continue to raise those problems, but those are some of the reasons why Pakistan is still on the CCP’s list.” and India is not, “Brownback said, adding that he has made several trips to both countries.
There were several recommendations made by the commission that the Secretary did not follow, and this was one of them, Borwnback he said when asked why India was not designated as a country of particular concern.
“We are watching the situation in India very closely. The secretary has traveled there several times. These issues have been raised in private discussions at the government level – high government level, and will continue to do so,” he said.
“I cannot get into the decision-making process that the secretary went through. He is very aware of much of the community violence that is taking place in India; he is very aware of the statute that has been enacted and the problems associated with ( Narendra) of the Modi government. And like I said, he has raised it to the highest levels, but decided at this point not to put them on a CPC or special watch list, “Brownback said.
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