UN Member States call out Pakistan’s religious tolerance towards its minorities
The following are some relevant extracts108 from the conclusions and/or recommendations given by UN Member States in the Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Pakistan during the Human Rights Council Fifty-third session 19 June–14 July 2023
- Kingdom of the Netherlands: Adopt legal and practical measures for effective safeguards in order to prevent the misuse of blasphemy laws and address religious intolerance.
- Czechia: Ensure that the implementation of the “blasphemy laws” is not misused to settle personal scores or, on account of ulterior motives, or to prevent the performance of religious rites
- Poland: Fully respect freedom of religion or belief in accordance with international human rights law, in particular by reforming blasphemy laws, especially as regards the existing legal possibility of punishing blasphemy by death, which creates a climate conducive to extrajudicial killings; repealing other legal provisions discriminating against members belonging to religious minorities; and halting abductions, forced marriages and forced conversions of women and girls from religious minorities.
- United States of America: Repeal or amend blasphemy laws and end other discriminatory laws used against members of […] religious minority communities
- Greece: Repeal blasphemy laws and combat religious intolerance.
- Ireland: Amend blasphemy legislation to avoid unjustly targeting or discriminating against religious minorities.
- Switzerland: Repeal sections 295-A, 295-B, 295-C, 298-B, and 298-C of Pakistan’s Penal Code to allow freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
- Kingdom of the Netherlands: Amend articles 25 to 27 of Pakistan’s Constitution to recognize belonging to a sexual and gender-based minority as protected grounds on the basis of which discrimination is prohibited and enact a comprehensive antidiscrimination law prohibiting discrimination.
- Norway: Implement legal and practical measures to protect all religious minorities or those with differing beliefs from discrimination and persecution and ensure that religiously motivated violence or incitement to it is subject to investigation and prosecution.
- Romania: Uphold international human rights commitments and guarantee protection under the law as equal citizens for all religious or belief communities.
- Malawi: Conclude the drafting and adoption of the national interfaith harmony policy.
- Sierra Leone Fully implement the Supreme Court’s ruling of 19 June 2014 calling for concrete measures to protect members of religious minorities and their faith and places of worship.
- Slovakia: Implement measures to ensure respect of the right to freedom of religion or belief, including protection of religious minorities and their places of worship.
- Croatia: Take legislative and other measures for better protection of religious minorities and their rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief and freedom of opinion and expression.
- Israel: Adopt comprehensive policies to prevent the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, as well as all forms of slavery and trafficking, and investigate, prosecute, and punish all perpetrators of those crimes.
- Liechtenstein: Take measures to effectively prevent the trafficking in women and girls for sexual exploitation, forced marriages, and forced labour.
- Mexico: Adopt all necessary measures to eradicate the forced conversion to Islam of women and girls belonging to religious minorities.
- Sierra Leone: Take concrete steps to ensure equal and effective participation of minorities, including women and faith-based groups, and protect their rights and civil liberties.
- Finland: Adopt and implement legislation prohibiting forced conversions and take measures to halt abductions, forced marriages, and conversions of girls and young women from religious minorities.
- India: End systemic persecution of minorities, misuse of blasphemy laws, and forced conversions of minority-community girls.
- Greece: Adopt and enforce legislative measures in order to prohibit forced conversion and forced and child marriage.
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Ensure that school textbooks are inclusive of all religions and ensure that minorities can access suitable alternatives to compulsory Qur’anic studies.
- Egypt: Strengthen efforts to protect the rights of minorities.
108 https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g23/036/54/pdf/g2303654.pdf?token=Jhh0pt6BQY5JiHMnPk&fe=true
