Blackburn, UK, Aug 31, 2022 / 12:20 pm
Christian, Hindu, and Muslim members of civil society in Pakistan have strongly rejected the government’s allegations against the Center for Social Justice (CSJ), a Catholic-rights body based in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. The organization has been working for the rights of religious minorities through research and advocacy work.
The government of Pakistan maligned the CSJ for “alleged anti-state propaganda” by submitting a human-rights report in July to the United Nations Human Rights Council for Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The fourth review of Pakistan is due in January and February 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.
A news item appeared in Daily Jang, a widely-circulated Urdu-language national newspaper on Aug. 21 that said the CSJ’s report is not based on reality and against the interests of Pakistan. The interior ministry has ordered the Punjab provincial government to take action against the organization.
However, Peter Jacob, head of the CSJ, denied the allegations and said that the report reflected the ground reality about freedom of religion in Pakistan.