Just days after Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari claimed that Muslims in his country “tolerate” the Hindu minority and that they are “as free as anywhere else”, Islamabad has been left red-faced by a sharp counter-narrative from a high-profile watchdog. Dr Asif Mahmood, a Pakistani-origin commissioner at the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has publicly taken Pakistan to task over severe religious persecution, putting the spotlight directly on the systemic abduction and forced conversion of minor Hindu girls. The scathing rebuke from a prominent Pakistani-American official directly undermines Islamabad’s state rhetoric, leaving foreign policy officials struggling to defend their minority rights record on the global stage.
Mahmood said his record on Pakistan is clear and that he has spoken out repeatedly about religious freedom concerns. He said the issue has been raised by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and by him personally. But specifically my focus of attention is Hindu girls who they are trying to do convert and play that game and that is very concerning,” he said. He said the commission has repeatedly raised concerns about religious freedom in Pakistan and has done so when Pakistani officials visit the United States.
His strongest warning focused on Hindu girls. “Not one time, not two times, multiple times and calling for action on that obviously, on Christians and Sikhs and Ahmadiyya. Mahmood also pointed to the wider pressure on Pakistan from USCIRF.
We keep on raising issues whenever they have visited America, or whenever they will visit, we will bring it up,” Mahmood said. “On Pakistan we have raised this multiple times, multiple times on record,” he said. Mahmood said both Pakistan and China have been recommended for CPC status by USCIRF. He also said Pakistan has been on the CPC list for a long time and that it took time for the US State Department to accept the commission’s recommendation. I think it took a long time for the State Department to actually accept our recommendation,” he said.
“My record has been very clear, calling out Pakistan, calling out China. We had a hearing on China. He added that Pakistan has been called out by USCIRF many times. “China and Pakistan have also been recommended to be CPC, and Pakistan has been on CPC for a long time.
