Pakistan has rejected a report by the US State Department on International Religious Freedom, calling it a “compendium of unsubstantiated and biased assertions.”
“The report's segment on Pakistan is a compendium of unsubstantiated and biased assertions. As a matter of principle, Pakistan does not support such national reports making observations on the internal affairs of sovereign States. Pakistan, therefore, rejects these observations,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“Pakistan is a multi-religious, multi-cultural and pluralistic society where people of different faiths are living together. Their contributions to society add to its richness and diversity,” it added.
“Their rights are guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan. These constitutional guarantees are underwritten by a vigilant judiciary that has demonstrated resolve to protect the fundamental rights — including religious freedoms — in recent high profile cases,” the Foreign Office said.
Meanwhile, the same report – International Religious Freedom Report 2019 – issued by the US State Department has mentioned that mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities, particularly Muslims, continued in India in 2018, amid rumours that victims had traded or killed cows for beef.
It also mentioned that there were reports of religiously-motivated killings, assaults, riots, discrimination, vandalism and actions restricting the right of individuals to practice their religious beliefs and proselytise.
The report says though India’s Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, “this history of religious freedom has come under attack in recent years with the growth of exclusionary extremist narratives”.
“The report's segment on Pakistan is a compendium of unsubstantiated and biased assertions. As a matter of principle, Pakistan does not support such national reports making observations on the internal affairs of sovereign States. Pakistan, therefore, rejects these observations,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“Pakistan is a multi-religious, multi-cultural and pluralistic society where people of different faiths are living together. Their contributions to society add to its richness and diversity,” it added.
“Their rights are guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan. These constitutional guarantees are underwritten by a vigilant judiciary that has demonstrated resolve to protect the fundamental rights — including religious freedoms — in recent high profile cases,” the Foreign Office said.
Meanwhile, the same report – International Religious Freedom Report 2019 – issued by the US State Department has mentioned that mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities, particularly Muslims, continued in India in 2018, amid rumours that victims had traded or killed cows for beef.
Read more: Hindu Groups Continue Targeting Minorities, Especially Muslims, In India: US Report
It also mentioned that there were reports of religiously-motivated killings, assaults, riots, discrimination, vandalism and actions restricting the right of individuals to practice their religious beliefs and proselytise.
The report says though India’s Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, “this history of religious freedom has come under attack in recent years with the growth of exclusionary extremist narratives”.