US Chides Pakistan’s Religious Freedom Record, Criticises Its Crackdown On Ahmadiyyas

Pakistan's crackdown on Ahmadiyya community under the guise of anti-terrorist action has been denounced by the State Department and the Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said that the country's laws that restrict peaceful religious expression, particularly by the Ahmadiyya community, "are inconsistent with Pakistan's international obligations".

USCIRF was harsher in its criticism. "USCIRF condemns the brutal raid on the Ahmadiyya offices, the first such raid since Pakistan amended its constitution 42 years ago declaring that Ahmadis are 'non-Muslims'," said Thomas J. Reese, a Catholic priest of the Jesuit order.

The USCIRF noted in a statement that Pakistan's Punjab province, where the raid took place, "has a deeply troubling religious freedom record" with two-thirds of all blasphemy cases originating there.

With inputs from IANS.