Pak presence in rights council is ‘intolerable’: UN accredited NGO

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s presence in the United Nations Human Rights Council is “intolerable” given his rights record, said a Geneva-based NGO UN Watch, adding that religious minorities in the South Asian country suffer discrimination, sectarian violence and forced conversions.
The condemnation of the NGOs, which monitor the performance of the United Nations, comes after the Pakistani government defended the beheading of a French teacher in Paris by an Islamic terrorist on the grounds that blasphemy in the garb of freedom of expression it is ‘intolerable’.

French president Emmanuel macron He has faced criticism from several Muslim-majority countries after he took a tough stance on radical Islam and defended the Prophet’s cartoons. Muhammad.
Macron’s remarks were not to the liking of Pakistani Prime Minister Khan, who criticized the French president, saying he has “deliberately chosen to provoke Muslims.”
In response to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran khanIn the comment to ‘Blasphemy in the garb of freedom of expression is intolerable’, the UN clock said: “Your presence at the UN Human Rights Council is intolerable.”
In another tweet, UN Watch shared a statement dated September 28 in which it presented its views against Pakistan’s election to the rights council. In October, Pakistan was re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council despite opposition from activist groups for its dismal human rights record.
Blasphemy laws are exploited to target and persecute members of religious minorities, particularly Christians, the document states.
“Religious minorities in Pakistan suffer discrimination, sectarian violence and forced conversions. Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five, spent eight years on death row in Pakistan for blasphemy after having a dispute with local Muslim women over a glass of water. Two Pakistani politicians were killed for supporting her, ”the document reads.
The NGO had noted that Pakistan is in the bottom 20% of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) world press freedom index.
Pakistani children are subject to multiple forms of violence and abuse, including exploitative labor practices, sexual abuse and child marriage, the NGO said in the document.
“According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, Pakistan has the sixth highest number of married girls in the world. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports that” an average of 11 cases of child sexual abuse are reported daily across Pakistan. “Including girls up to 5 years old. Furthermore, child labor remains a serious problem, including the sale of children for domestic servitude and kidnapping,” the NGO said.