April 26, 2025
2 mins read

Worsening Plight for Pakistan’s Minorities, Says US Report

The report called on the US to sanction Pakistani officials over religious freedom abuses, including asset freezes and travel bans….reports Asian Lite News

Finding “a worsening religious and political climate of fear, intolerance, and violence” for minorities in Pakistan, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has asked President Donald Trump’s administration to take strong measures against the Islamic Republic.

It urged the US government to impose sanctions on Pakistani officials and agencies responsible for the “serious violations of religious freedoms” in that country, freezing their assets and barring them from entering the US.

“Religious minority communities — particularly Christians, Hindus, and Shia and Ahmadiyya Muslims — continued to bear the brunt of persecution and prosecutions under Pakistan’s strict blasphemy law and to suffer violence from both the police and mobs,” the religious freedom body said in its annual report.

“Those responsible for such violence rarely faced legal consequences,” it said.

To counter these recurring developments, the commission asked the government to “redesignate Pakistan as a ‘country of particular concern (CPC)’,” for its “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”

It urged the government to lift the existing waiver for Pakistan so that it can take the legally mandated actions due to its designation as a CPC.

The State Department has in the past issued Islamabad waivers citing what it stated was the need to maintain a “constructive relationship for broader strategic goals.”

The USCIRF found that the blasphemy laws were responsible for much of the violence against minorities and suggested several steps the US should take to ensure minorities in Pakistan are protected.

“Accusations of blasphemy and subsequent mob violence continued to severely impact religious minority communities,” it said.

It asked the US government to “enter into a binding agreement with the Pakistani government” to protect minorities that would require Islamabad to repeal blasphemy laws and release prisoners held under the blasphemy laws or for their religious beliefs.

Till the laws are repealed, according to the USCIRF, the accused should be eligible for bail, and those making false accusations should be prosecuted under the country’s penal code.

Pakistan should also be made to hold “accountable individuals who incite or participate in vigilante violence, targeted killings, forced conversion, and other religiously based crimes,” it said.

Citing a report by a United Nations expert group, the USCIRF said that there was a ‘worsening pattern of forced conversions among Pakistan’s minority Christian and Hindu women and girls.”

The experts found that “local authorities often dismiss forced marriages, in which women and girls are obliged to convert to Islam, and the court system likewise validates them,” it added.

Previous Story

Yunus Must Be Treated Like Hasina, Warn Islamists

Next Story

Relief for Students: US Visa Cancellations Paused

Latest from -Top News

India, UAE Strengthen Green Partnership

At the IUCN 2025 in Abu Dhabi, Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh urged stronger India‑UAE climate and biodiversity cooperation….reports Asian Lite News The government said India and the UAE have significant potential to

India Commits to Afghan Growth

As a special gesture, India gifted 20 ambulances to the Afghan people with a symbolic handover being done by the EAM…reports Asian Lite News India on Friday announced plans to expand its

Islamabad, Rawalpindi Shut Down Over TLP Rally

Authorities have placed containers at Faizabad Interchange to block entry into Islamabad from Rawalpindi….reports Asian Lite News In Pakistan’s capital Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi, roads and entry points were sealed, and communication

NY Attorney General indicted in mortgage fraud

The indictment comes just weeks after former FBI Director James Comey was charged in a separate, highly controversial case…reports Asian Lite News New York Attorney General Letitia James has been charged in

US targets Chinese flights over Russia

US carriers have long criticised the allowance of Chinese flights over Russia, arguing that the shorter routes reduce travel time and fuel consumption, providing an unfair advantage….reports Asian Lite News The Trump
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Pakistan’s $7b IMF deal in trouble, tax hikes loom

The IMF is again pressuring Pakistan to let the rupee

Trump’s lawyers preparing defence against possible DoJ charges

Trump’s legal team has begun strategising defence arguments, and the