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U.N. member states criticize Pakistan’s Human Rights record

On Monday over two dozen countries criticized Pakistan’s human rights record at the universal periodic review (UPR) of UN Human Rights Council. The criticism came not only from developed countries like the U.S. and U.K but also from developing countries like Ethiopia and Namibia. Majority of the countries made recommendations on the status of women, minority rights, and religious freedom. The United States in its recommendations urged Pakistan to abolish blasphemy laws and protect freedom of opinion and expression. The …

Pakistani Shia cleric warns of dangers posed by Baha’is & Ahmadis

A Pakistani Shia leader has warned that the public and the government should be made aware of the “dangers” posed by Baha’is and Ahmadis. Shia cleric Allama Iqbal Bahishti urged the Government to be watchful of the ‘heretic’ Baha’is & Ahmadis. Allam Iqbal Bahishti who is the provincial secretary-general of Pakistan’s largest Shiite political organization the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) made the comments while speaking to members of the press on November 11. Bahishti said: The Islamic world was split into two …

Pakistani Minister requests non-Muslim Police escort after threat from Islamists

A Pakistani Minister has been forced to conduct a shake-up of his security detail after threats by Islamists. Pakistan’s provincial law Minister, Rana Sanaullah has ordered that only non-Muslim officers be deployed for his security. Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have started conducting background checks on all his security detail and also asked the Minister to restrict his movements. However, sources close to the Minister say that he is not satisfied with the background checks and has already hired a private security firm to take …

Pakistani singer Abrar-ul-Haq expresses support for Islamists

Pakistan’s prominent singer and politician Abrar-ul-Haq has announced his support for Islamists who are protesting against the Government in the city of Narowal. In a video message Haq urged the Government to give in to the demands of the Islamist protestors. The protestors are part of Tehrike-e-Labbaik-Ya-Rasulullah (TLYR) who have shutdown the capital Islamabad for the last few days and have called on the Government among other things to release blasphemy killers, hang blasphemers and limit the activities of Ahmadis, …

Pakistan’s capital Islamabad shutdown by Islamists

Several thousand Islamists in Pakistan have effectively blocked a main crossing near the national capital, Islamabad, crippling the daily life of millions of people and underscoring challenges facing the country’s counter extremism efforts. The rally began with a few hundred members of the small radical Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah party who had gathered earlier this week at the main Faizabad crossing outside Islamabad. By Friday afternoon, the gathering grew to over 3,000, disrupting public life and prompting police to set …

Pakistani politician who ran ‘Jihadi Camp’ invited to speak at an event in Canada

A Canadian-Pakistani newspaper is set to host a senior Pakistani politician who ran Jihadi camps from his farmhouse. Sheikh Rasheed, President of Awami Muslim League ran a training camp for Kashmiri separatist militants from his farmhouse on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad. Rasheed who is a member of Pakistan’s national parliament is set to speak at Swagat Banquet Hall in Mississauga on October 30th. The event is being hosted by Urdu Times, a weekly Urdu language newspaper which came …

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom condemns death sentence for Ahmadis

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has condemned a Pakistani court’s decision to award the death penalty to three Ahmadis accused of blasphemy. The Ahmadis who were arrested in 2014 after they were accused of committing blasphemy by tearing down posters against them. Daniel Mark, Chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated that: “Pakistan must repeal its blasphemy laws and immediately release all those imprisoned under those provisions. Blasphemy laws and the horrific acts …

U.S. Thanks Pakistan for rescuing American-Canadian family from Taliban

U.S. has thanked Pakistan for helping secure the release of a Canadian man, his American wife, and their three young children. In 2012, the family was taken hostage by the Haqqani network. Their three children were subsequently born in captivity. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said: I applaud the innumerable lines of effort from across the U.S. Government. I’m particularly proud of Ambassador Hale and his Mission Islamabad team for their engagement with Pakistan. These …

Pakistani court sentences three Ahmadis to death for blasphemy

A Pakistani court on Wednesday condemned three Ahmadi men to death on charges of committing blasphemy. The court also fined the men Rs 200,000 (USD 2,000) each, and if they are unable to pay the fine, they would have to undergo six months of rigorous punishment. In his decision, Additional District and Sessions Judge Mian Javed Akram stated that the three individuals, Ehsan Ahmad, Ghulam Ahmad and Mubasher Ahmad from the Ahmadiyya community of Bhoaywal town had committed blasphemy by …

Rohingya Crisis: UK Minister of State Lord Ahmad meets Bangladesh PM Hasina in London

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested help from the UK and the international community, to help resolve the Rohingya crisis. Hasina who was on her way back to Bangladesh from U.S. made a stopover in London where she met Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon who currently serves as the UK Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Briefing media, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said Hasina told Lord Ahmad that the UK should continue pressing Myanmar government. …

Former Malaysian MP wants Ban on peaceful Islamic teachings

Malaysia’s prominent female Islamic scholar and former member of the Cabinet Dr. Mashitah Ibrahim has called for action against “the dissemination of deviant teachings of Qadianis”, a peaceful minority Islamic sect considered heretic by mainstream Muslims. She made the comments on Thursday during a panel discussion on the Islamic school fire which killed 21 children. The Executive Chairman of the Pondok Malaysia Development Foundation said “We do not want Malaysia to be like the neighboring country where freedom of Islam …

Uproar over assault & abduction of Turkish family by Pakistani security forces

The forced abduction and assault of a Turkish couple by Pakistani security forces has sent shockwaves through the human rights community. On September 27, plainclothed officers of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism department raided the house of Mesut Kacmaz, a former director of Pak-Turk schools. An Eyewitnesses reported how Kacmaz, his wife Meral, and two teenage daughters were brutally assaulted by plain-clothed officers and taken to an unknown location. The incident is the latest in Pakistan’s crackdown on Pak-Turk Schools, which the Turkish …