Danyal said Pakistan with a 97% Muslim population has got 2,189 churches (1 per 1,206 Christians), 732 temples (1 per 5,669 Hindus) and 58 gurdwaras (1 per 159 Sikhs).
Danyal calls out ‘selective lectures’ for Pakistan on minority rights
ISLAMABAD, Jul 17 (APP): Federal Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Danyal Chaudhry on Friday called out “selective lectures” directed at Pakistan regarding minority rights during its GSP+ assessment.
“Pakistan’s GSP+ assessment has once again become a platform for selective lectures on minority rights,” the parliamentary secretary stated in a post on X, highlighting religious tolerance and inter-faith harmony in the country.
“Pakistan with a 97% Muslim population has got 2,189 churches (1 per 1,206 Christians), 732 temples (1 per 5,669 Hindus) and 58 gurdwaras (1 per 159 Sikhs),” he said, contrasting this with the UK, which, he noted, has one mosque for every 2,249 Muslims.
In Pakistan, neither the state nor society discriminated against religious minorities, he added.
The parliamentary secretary emphasized that special measures were undertaken by federal and provincial governments for the celebration of minority religious occasions, alongside the maintenance and protection of their holy places.
He also questioned the tolerance levels of other nations, pointing to France, where a hijab ban was imposed in 2004, a face veil ban in 2011, and an abaya ban in schools in 2023.
Danyal also noted face-covering restrictions in Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
“Yet the EU continues to recycle narratives sourced from agenda-driven NGOs while ignoring Pakistan’s constitutional guarantees, legal reforms, and sustained efforts to protect minorities,” he remarked.
