11 lawmakers in the US demand to stop the financial aid to Pakistan

Accusations of the Blasphemy law to be anti-Christian

Washington (US) – Eleven democrats in the House of Representatives including Illhan Omar wrote a letter to the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken demanding that the Biden administration should stop aid to Pakistan. They have argued that assistance to Pakistan should be withheld till Islamabad takes corrective measures to improve Human Rights parameters, roll back stringent changes to its Blasphemy laws, and hold free and fair elections.

The letter to Antony Blinken by the lawmakers says,

We are extremely concerned about the passing of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2023 which will strengthen the existing blasphemy law, which has historically been used to persecute religious minorities.

They noted that just eight days after the bill was passed, on 16th August, a mob desecrated churches and set fire to homes of Christians in Jaranwala.

The letter also referred to reported protests against the bill, including by the Shia community in Gilgit-Baltistan. They stated, “Religious persecution remains rampant in Pakistan, and we are concerned about future restrictions on freedom of religion and belief should this Bill become law.”

From 1987 to May 2023, two thousand people have been charged under the Blasphemy law and 88 people were murdered, as per the reports of Center for Social Justice.

Editorial Perspective

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