Days After India, Pakistan Rejects US Report On Religious Freedom, Calls It 'Baseless'

New Delhi: Days after India rejected the US State Department report on international religious freedom, Pakistan on Thursday `categorically` rejected the report saying `baseless` assertions were made in it, news agency IANS quoted Pakistani media as reporting. The statement came in response to the US state department report highlighting the need to improve "interfaith tolerance, inclusion, and harmony" in the country. Based on several events in 2022, the US-based report noted that "several political leaders used inflammatory religious language to attack their political rivals."

The spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a weekly briefing that Pakistan respected religious freedom and protected its citizens. “We strongly dismiss the unfounded claims made about Pakistan in the International Religious Freedom Report issued by the US Department of State. Such uninformed reporting activities about internal matters of sovereign states are meaningless, reckless and unhelpful,” the spokesperson said, IANS said quoting Geo News.

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The spokesperson challenged the report and rejected its findings and said that Pakistan wanted to cooperate with the world to eliminate racial discrimination and Islamophobia, Geo News reported. "We are proud of our religious diversity and pluralistic social fabric. Pakistan`s Constitution provides a strong framework for comprehensive legal, policy and positive measures to protect and promote the rights and freedoms of all Pakistanis regardless of their faith.

“These rights and constitutional guarantees are protected, upheld and strengthened by an independent judiciary,” Baloch stated.

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“In our interactions, including with the United States, we have expressed serious concerns about the increasing rise in anti-Muslim hatred, racism and Islamophobia. We hope to work with international partners to counter these harmful forms of religious intolerance, discrimination and Islamophobia.”

'Misinformation, Flawed': India On US Report On Religious Freedom

India on Tuesday rejected the US State Department report on international religious freedom and said it was based on "misinformation and flawed understanding." According to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs, spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We are aware of the release of the US State Department 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom. Regrettably, such reports continue to be based on misinformation and flawed understanding." He further stated that the report is motivated and biased commentary by some US officials which only serves to undermine further the credibility of these reports. "We value our partnership with the US and will continue to have frank exchanges on issues of concern to us," the spokesperson said.

The remarks came in response to the US State Department 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom where it alleged high handedness against minorities especially Muslims by various state governments in India.