Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs ‘face relentless discrimination, systematic prosecution, and violence, which tragically goes unpunished’
By Jacob Adams, The Daily Signal
Congress’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission heard testimony Tuesday condemning the government of Pakistan over its treatment of Christians and other religious minorities.
In his opening remarks, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., a co-chairman of the bipartisan commission, noted what the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has said about the state of religious freedom in the South Asian nation.
“Authorities’ failure to address mob violence associated with blasphemy accusations, as well as forced conversions of religious minorities—including Hindus, Christians, and Sikhs—to Islam, reinforces a climate of intolerance and fear,” the religious freedom commission concluded.
“Pakistan is a country of over 250 million people—the fifth-largest country in the world—so the human cost of this repression is immense in its scope as well [as] its severity,” Smith explained.
“Non-Muslims, including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs—along with Shiites, Sufis and other sects of Islam—have never been truly safe or protected [from the Sunni Muslim majority]. They face relentless discrimination, systematic prosecution, and violence, which tragically goes unpunished,” Sadiq Amini, founder of the Afghanistan Impact Network, told the commission. Afghanistan shares a 1,600-plus-mile border with Pakistan.
“The legal system, far from being a shield, often becomes a tool of their oppression, failing to provide the protection and justice they desperately need. Blasphemy laws are weaponized against them, mob violence is frequently condoned, and their places of worship are routinely attacked. This systemic failure to protect its most vulnerable citizens exposes the deep-seated intolerance fostered by the state, particularly the military,” Amini explained.