ICC Note:

Following major international meetings, including the G20 and ASEAN Summit, Pakistan has been called out by the international community for continued support to terrorist organizations and religious intolerance that is widespread in the South Asian nation. Recently, the two issues converged  when terrorists from the Pakistani Taliban attacked a Christian neighborhood in Peshawar. Fortunately, only one Christian was killed when four heavily armed militants attacked the neighborhood and detonated suicide vests when engaged by security forces. Recently, Christians and other religious minorities have become soft targets for terrorist operating in Pakistan. Will Pakistan listen to the international community and take steps to change? 

9/12/2016 Pakistan (First Post) – In a bold and unambiguous move, the international community sans China, is turning its heat on Pakistan to shun its state-sponsored cross-border terrorism. Such warnings were also articulated in the recent G20 and Asean summits that called upon Pakistan to stop abetting terror-related activities.

Simultaneously, the diplomatic offensive launched by India to isolate Pakistan subtly labelling it as the only country in South Asia causing terror found its resonance in US rhetoric as well as in other countries. Coincidentally, against this backdrop, there are numerous cases of human rights violations and oppression of religious minorities that are surfacing time and again, indicating that all is not well with Pakistan.

In a recent case of a blatant move to stifle the voice of human rights’ groups, on 2 September, the home of noted human rights activist Dr Rubina Feroze Bhatti was raided by the police. Earlier, on 1 September, her NGO Taang Wassaib Organisation (TWO) was shut down by the authorities. It may be recalled that Rubina is the founder, and currently the general secretary of TWO, which proactively addresses issues of violence against women and religious intolerance against the minorities.

Later, on 5 September, the interior ministry in Lahore alleged that Rubina and her NGO were preaching Christianity and defaming Pakistan. Such accusations were preposterous and are reflective of the fact that minorities continue to be targeted in Pakistan and that too at the behest of the government. Religious intolerance in Pakistan is not something new. The minorities in Pakistan observed 7 September — albeit silently — as a dark day for the oppressed. On this day 42 years ago (1974), religion was formally inducted to be the basis of the state affairs. More specifically, the Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan was passed where the Ahmediyas were declared non-Muslims.

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