USA: Report on Religious Freedom expresses concern on worsening situation of minorities in Pakistan

"We do raise these issues. I raise them in all of my travels and other senior U.S. officials do. And it’s the combination of diplomatic pressure, public attention, and what happens within societies that makes a difference“. [Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary]

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: PCP | US Dept of State
By PCP | Ahmadiyya Times | November 18, 2010

Washington DC:  (PCP, AT) Mr. Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, in Obama administration issued the religious freedom report 2010, here says that in Pakistan, against the backdrop of continued extremist violence against civilian targets, the number and severity of reported cases against religious minorities increased."

Mr. Posner cited the example of terrorist attacks in May, where "extremist attacks on two Ahmadi congregations in Lahore killed at least 86 people."

Answering about CPC Mr. Posner said the report is a separate exercise from that, but we will be designating countries of particular concern in the next couple of months.

Replying to a question Mr. Posner said “Well, as I said in my opening comment, these reports are a baseline, a factual baseline that is – that gives us information we need to then make policy. It is – the reports by themselves will never solve the problem.
The reports, though, provide information, both for our diplomats but also for other governments, for the United Nations and others, to address these issues. We do raise these issues. I raise them in all of my travels and other senior U.S. officials do. And it’s the combination of diplomatic pressure, public attention, and what happens within societies that makes a difference“.

Answering a question about Pakistan, Mr. Posner said “...there is, as you know, a widespread pattern of violent attacks from extremist groups. I mentioned the one, the bombing in May [on Ahmadiyya mosques in Lahore], but there have been [more] attacks against Christians, against the Ahmadis. There’s still discriminatory laws on the books, blasphemy laws, anti-Ahmadi laws. We are raising these issues with the Government of Pakistan."

While many human rights organization maintain that there is no evidence of Pakistani government taking any measurable steps to counter the persecution of minorities in Pakistan, Mr. Posner, however, asserted that "We give the government credit for steps it’s taken, but also recognize that more needs to be done and it’s part of our diplomacy with them.”

If there were any steps taken by the government, some say, why the persecution has grown several thousand folds.

The last known step to protect minorities was taken by former president Parvez Musharraf when laws were introduce to establish penalties for filing false blasphemy cases against any individual.

The law has never been applied even after many have been acquired by the courts of blasphemy charges.

Here is report about Pakistan: International Religious Freedom Report 2010