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Pakistan likely to escape US censure due to Aasia’s release
[DAWN] Pakistain may escape a new designation ‐ a serious violator of religious freedom ‐ thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision to release Aasia Bibi, according to diplomatic sources.In January, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that Pakistain be designated as a "country of concern" because of its alleged "serious violations of religious freedom". Although it’s a long-standing USCIRF demand, the US State Department has never so designated Pakistain, but it does highlight the commission’s findings in its annual reports on religious freedom. In December last year, the State Department named Pakistain as the first, and only, country on its "Special Watch List", a new category created in 2016. The report for this year complained that religious minorities in Pakistain continued to face attacks from krazed killer groups and society on the lam. It also noted that "abusive enforcement of the country’s strict blasphemy laws result in the "suppression of rights for non-Moslems, Shia and Ahmedis". Tenzin Dorjee, the USCIRF chief, said: "The case of Asia Bibi illustrates the extent to which blasphemy laws can be exploited to target minority communities." Posted by: Fred 2018-11-15 |
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