US criticises Pak for discriminatory policies against minorities

The United States on Sunday criticised Pakistan for using discriminatory policies against Ahmadiyya community and other religious minorities including Sikhs, Christians, and Shias.A country report on human rights practices for 2018, released by the US Department of State, last week, says: "Courts routinely failed to protect the rights of religious minorities. Courts discriminatorily used laws prohibiting blasphemy against Shia, Christians, Ahmadis, and members of other religious minority groups.""Lower courts often did not require adequate evidence in blasphemy cases, and some convicted persons spent years in jail before higher courts eventually overturned their convictions or ordered their release," adds the report.The report stated that Pakistan had excluded the Ahmadiyya community from participating in the 25th general elections of the country, held in July last year, by creating a separate voter list for the minority community."The government requires voters to indicate their ...