ASIA/PAKISTAN - Christian-led civil society organization accused of anti-state activities

Monday, 5 September 2022 human rights religious freedom religious minorities

CSJ

PAKISTAN

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Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - Human rights groups, members of civil society and non-governmental organizations are these days defending the Christian organization "Center for Social Justice" (CSJ) accused of carrying out anti-state activities. The CSJ - an NGO directed by the Catholic layman Peter Jacob, with more than 30 years of experience in the field of human and minority rights - finds itself in the eye of the storm because the Urdu-language daily "Daily Jang " reported, on August 21, that the Ministry of the Interior had ordered an inspection of the CSJ for alleged "dissemination of propaganda against Pakistan in the United Nations".
The CSJ, committed to the defense of human rights and democratic development and social justice, publishes an annual report, based on documented data, entitled "Human Rights Observer". The report published in February 2022 (see Fides, 23/2/2022), sent to the UN Human Rights Council, presents data and figures on the level of human rights in Pakistan (see Fides, 12/8/2022) and on the rights of minorities (see Fides, 10/8/2022). It contains news on the abuse of blasphemy laws, on the phenomenon of forced conversions, on the situation of minorities in the national population census (see Fides, 17/6/2022) and reports on issues related to the reform of the educational system (see Fides, 5/8/2022).
Such information is "inconvenient" for the government of Islamabad. For this reason, a joint action committee, made up of more than 30 civil society organizations, has issued a statement denying the accusations against the CSJ. The Muslim leader Irfan Mufti, a member of the Committee, said in a statement sent to Fides: "The report published by the CSJ is based on duly documented facts. The issues addressed in the report, related to human rights and freedom religion, are widely debated in the country's courts, parliamentary bodies and media". And he adds: "The involvement of civil society organizations helps to improve the vision of Pakistan and their commitment contributes to improving the conditions of the population. Denying it will make it difficult to solve these problems."
Affirming the concern of all civil society organizations, the Committee states: "The aforementioned report also offers concrete and actionable recommendations to the government on each of the issues identified. The government should constructively consider these recommendations to help resolve long-standing problems that are a source of embarrassment for the country". "The government can respond to the issues raised or take action to resolve them. However, if the incidence of violence in the name of religion continues, the government will be held accountable in all relevant forums", the Committee concludes.
Civil society organizations, including the CSJ, participate in the Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR) carried out at the UN in recent years, also in the most recent one carried out in 2017. The government of Pakistan has committed itself to being part of this review process since 2006, after the establishment of the United Nations Human Rights Council. It is mandatory for every UN member country to undergo periodic review. For Pakistan, the next review is scheduled for January 2023. (AG/PA) (Agenzia Fides, 5/9/2022)