 Pakistan has certain laws and policies which discriminate against religious minorities, says a report released by the US State Department on Tuesday.
| Really? When did that start? |
The International Religious Freedom Report 2005 does not blacklist Pakistan â Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Vietnam, Eritrea and Sudan are the eight countries labelled of âparticular concernâ â but does cite it as having shortfalls in allowing religious freedom. The State Department report say Pakistan has âdiscriminatory legislation or policies prejudicial to certain religions,â an apparent reference to the Hudood Ordinances and blasphemy laws.
| Apostasizing all the Ahmaddis... |
Pakistan was also faulted for failing to intervene in cases of violence against minority religious groups.
| ... threatening the Ismailis, booming Shiite mosques, machine-gunning Christian churches, that sort of thing... |
âThe government took steps to improve the treatment of religious minorities, but there were instances in which authorities failed to intervene in cases of societal violence directed at minority religious groups,â it said.
| A pretty high corpse count, in fact. Higher than anyplace else I can think of, with the possible exception of Iraq. |
The State Department annually blacklists countries for alleged religious freedom violations based on recommendations from a commission jointly appointed by President George W Bush and Congress. |