Edited by Deepali Verma
The US has delegated China, North Korea and Pakistan as “Countries of Particular Concern” for engaging in and tolerating “particularly severe violations of religious freedom”. Citing the Religious Freedom Designations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pointed out that advancing the freedom of religion or belief has been the crux of US foreign policy ever since the Congress passed and the enactment of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998 followed through.
To upkeep that “enduring commitment”, Blinken announced last week that he has designated Burma, China, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as “Countries of Particular Concern” owing to their engagement in or tolerance particularly towards severe violations of religious freedom.” In Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Office on January 8 rejected these claims of the US and called it a “biased” assessment and further designated the US as a “country of particular concern”.
As per the statement by the Foreign Office, Pakistan is a pluralistic country, hosting a rich tradition of interfaith harmony, falling in place with its Constitution, and has undertaken wide-ranging measures to promote religious freedom while simultaneously, protecting minority rights.”We categorically reject Pakistan’s designation as ‘a Country of Particular Concern’ by the US State Department. We are greatly saddened that the designation is based on biased and arbitrary assessment, that ignores ground realities,” the FO said.
It said that Pakistan is of a strong belief that the contemporary challenge of religious intolerance, xenophobia and Islamophobia can be best handled via constructive engagement and collective efforts rooted in mutual understanding and respect. With a similar spirit, Pakistan has bilaterally engaged the U.S and its concerns regarding the designation being conveyed to the US side, the FO stated further. Blinken additionally named Algeria, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Comoros, and Vietnam as Special Watch List countries for taking part in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.
Notably, he tagged al-Shabab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS-Sahel, ISIS-West Africa, al-Qa’ida affiliate Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, and the Taliban as “Entities of Particular Concern”. The US diplomat further voiced that significant violations of religious freedom also occur in countries that are not designated. “Governments should work and try to put an end to abuses, particularly of attacks on members of religious minority communities, their places of worship, communal violence and extended imprisonment for peaceful expression, transnational repression, and calls to violence against religious communities, among other violations that occur in several places around the globe,” Blinken said.
He emphasised on the challenges to religious freedom across the globe as structural, systemic, and deeply entrenched. “But with thoughtful, sustained commitment from those who are unwilling to accept hatred, intolerance, and persecution as the status quo we may one day live to see a world where all people live with dignity and equality,” Blinken said.
