United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has said that religious freedom in Pakistan continues to “deteriorate” under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The UN body accused that discriminatory legislation by the Pakistan government has empowered people with “extremist mindsets” to carry out attacks on religious minorities.
The report titled ‘Pakistan-Religious freedom under attack’, expressed its concern over the increasing “weaponization and politicisation” of the blasphemy laws and the anti-Ahmadiyya legislation, being used by the Islamist groups to not only persecute religious minorities but also to gain political ground.
The commission also alarmed that Christian and Hindu communities in the Islamic nation are “particularly vulnerable”, especially women and girls.
The CSW reported that cases pertaining to forced marriages and conversions are prevalent among Christian and Hindu community, in the Punjab and Sindh Provinces. Hindu girls and women are targeted due to lower economic backgrounds in rural areas and lack education.
The CSW has asked Pakistan government to take more effective steps to prevent sectarian violence and to hold the perpetrators of religious attacks to account.
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