Morning Star News, July 12, 2024 (excerpts)
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom again has recommended that the State Department designate Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), citing the country’s blasphemy laws as a prime source religious freedom violations. The U.S. State Department has designated Pakistan as a CPC every year since 2018.
Pakistan continues to witness widespread abuses of religious freedom, including blasphemy laws, forced conversions of minority girls, and targeted violence against religious minorities.
The blasphemy laws have been criticized for broad and vague provisions often misused to settle personal scores or target people of minority religions in the 96-percent Muslim country. The USCIRF report documents numerous cases of individuals, including Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis, being falsely accused and imprisoned under these laws.
The mere accusation of blasphemy can lead to mob violence, extrajudicial killings, and mass protests, creating a climate of fear and intimidation. The recent high-profile case of Zohaib Masih, a young Christian who was wrongfully detained and tortured on false blasphemy charges, exemplifies the ongoing misuse of these laws.
The report also highlighted forced conversions, particularly of young Christian and Hindu girls who are abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to their abductors.
In addition, numerous instances of targeted violence against religious minorities with attacks on churches, temples, and Ahmadi mosques, continue to be a serious concern.