“The secretary also placed Pakistan on a Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom,” State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said. The countries are designated on the recommendation of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in line with the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). IRFA requires the US government to designate as CPC any country whose government engages in, or tolerates, particularly severe religious freedom violations that are systematic, ongoing, and egregious. The List is for countries that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom but may not rise to the level of the CPC. Pakistan, notably, is the first ever country to be placed on this list, which is a new category created by the Frank R Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016.

Source: Pakistan Today January 07, 2018 13:07 UTC