Religious parties reject US Commission’s report on religious freedom

ISLAMABAD: The leaders of all religious organisations have rejected the US State Department’s report on religious freedom in Pakistan, stating that the US Commission for Religious Freedom had drafted an arbitrary report with biased and baseless information.

Addressing a joint press conference on Friday, the leaders of different religious parties along with the Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council, Special Representative to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, said the US State Department, contrary to the ground realities, had listed Pakistan in the list of countries violating religious freedom. “We want to invite the US Commission for Religious Freedom to visit Pakistan and make decisions on ground realities.”

During the press conference, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi was flanked by Allama Sajjad Husseini, Maulana Ghulam Akbar Saqi, Pastor Emanuel Khokhar, Maulana Qasim Qasmi, Maulana Tahir Aqeel Awan, Maulana Abubakar Sabri, Maulana Shafi Qasmi, Maulana Naib Khan, Maulana Muhammad Khan Leghari and representatives of the Church of Pakistan. The clerics said the Constitution of Pakistan assures complete religious freedom to the faithful of all religions and religious sects without any discrimination. The religious leaders jointly stated that for the last two years, incidents relating to misuse of blasphemy laws were minimised.

They said the government, with the support of Ulema-o-Mashaikh, had been playing an effective role to keep a check on the misuse of blasphemy law, therefore, on account of hearsay, any objections on violation of religious freedom in Pakistan should not be made. The religious scholars said the US State Department's report for listing Pakistan among the countries violating religious freedom was unacceptable. They said it has become evident that India and other enemies had been making propaganda to malign Pakistan in the context of violations of religious freedom.

The clerics said all the religious parties have agreed that forceful conversions could not be made and all such incidents are being seen on case to case. Similarly, they said the Ulema had been playing an effective role to restrain underage marriages and coordination is being made in this regard between the representatives of different religions, sects and the government. Replying to a question, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said Pakistan would contact the US at the government level on the issue of the US Commission’s report on religious freedom in Pakistan that was beyond the ground realities.

Ashrafi said the Interfaith Harmony Council was being established with committees all over the country to promote religious harmony and in this regard, a formal declaration would be made by the federal government soon. He said the minorities, living in Pakistan, have all the rights as defined in the Constitution of the country and any organisation, and individual could not force the minorities to change their religions.

Responding to another question, Hafiz Tahir said the holy places of Muslims are situated in Saudi Arabia and non-Muslims are banned from entering Mecca and Medina, in accordance of the teachings of Quran-o-Sunnah, which could not be altered.