US Congressmen have condemned ill-treatment and hostility towards minorities by Pakistani state.
According to details received by The Balochistan Post, 17 US Congressmen attended the ‘Day on The Hill ‘ event at Capitol Hill, Washington, DC. The event titled Minorities Day on The Hill was organized by Voice of Karachi and South Asian Minorities Alliance Foundation (SAMAF).
US Congressmen Alex X. Mooney and Tom Rice said that minority persecution in Pakistan is of grave concern and the state should do more to protect its citizens.
Nadeem Nusrat, leader of Voice of Karachi, while delivering his speech said that people of all religions and ethnicity should be considered equal citizens and their rights should be respected.
Mr. Nusrat urged Pakistan’s military establishment to stop human rights abuses against ethnic and religious groups. He also shed light on the worsening security situation in Afghanistan.
While talking to media US Congressman Scott Perry on the question of resetting US-Pak ties said that US wants good relations but Pakistan has to make a choice between providing safe sanctuaries to terrorist organisations or initiating a crackdown against them.
Gilgit Baltistan activist Senge Hasnan Sering also spoke during the event and shed light on the human rights violations ‘committed by Army and ISI’.
Baloch activist Nabi Baksh in his speech said that Baloch are not a minority but a nation under brutal, forced occupation by Pakistan since 1948. He said that other than brutalities faced by Baloch nation, religious minorities in Pakistan are also suffering dearly because of Islamabad’s policies of using Islamist militancy as a tool of foreign policy against neighbors, India and Afghanistan.