Authorities in Pakistan have failed to curb a range of human rights violations, including a sharp increase in blasphemy-related violence, the UN Human Rights Committee recently noted.
Abductions of girls who are then forced to convert to Islam, arbitrary detentions, disappearances and crackdown on political dissent were among the violations, members noted during the second review of Pakistan’s human rights record at the 142nd session of the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, on Oct 17–18.
Pakistan ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2010, and the first review took place in 2017.
Expressing serious concern over frequent attacks against religious minorities, including accusations of blasphemy, targeted killings, lynchings, mob violence, forced conversions and desecration of places of worship, the committee observed that Pakistani society has become increasingly intolerant of religious diversity.
“Religious minorities are facing a constant threat of persecution and discrimination amid the rise of religious radicalism,” the committee stated.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
