Pakistan slams US for listing it as 'particular concern' for religious freedoms

By Kiran Butt

LAHORE, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan has rejected the US State Department's listing of the South Asian country as a state of “particular concern” for religious freedoms, saying it “detached from realities on the ground.”

Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch during a weekly briefing on Thursday expressed her disappointment with the issue, calling it a “unilateral and arbitrary designation.”

On Monday, the US State Department released a list of "Religious Freedom Destinations," to which Pakistan was added among 11 countries, including China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and North Korea.

According to the State Department, countries that engaged in or tolerate particularly serious violations of religious freedom are placed on the list, which is updated annually.

Foreign Office spokeswoman Baloch said this act is "detached from the realities on the ground," denouncing the US for discriminating against Pakistan but ignoring India, which, according to the official, is a notorious perpetrator of minority rights but is not on the specific list.

Pakistan, she noted, is a multi-religious country rich in interfaith harmony traditions.

“We are a pluralistic society and the constitution of Pakistan protects the rights of minorities. We have conveyed our reservation to the US on this placement,” she said.

Although Pakistan has previously been on the list, the country was not included on the list last year, which was heralded as a great milestone.​​​​​​​