Blasphemy accusations, subsequent mob lynching: CERD highlights escalated incidents in Punjab, KP

ISLAMABAD: The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), on Friday, issued its findings on eight countries, including Pakistan highlighting escalated incidents of blasphemy accusations and subsequent mob lynching in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa from May to June 2024.

The Geneva-based CERD issued its findings on countries including Pakistan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela after reviewing the seven States parties in its latest session.

The findings contain the committee’s main concerns and recommendations on the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, as well as positive aspects.

Highlighting escalated incidents in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa from May to June 2024, the committee underscored its concern over blasphemy accusations and subsequent mob lynching and the destruction of places of worship, particularly, targeting ethnic and ethno-religious minorities.

The committee questioned the impunity for these crimes, citing few arrests and convictions. The committee underlined the right to fair trial of those accused of blasphemy, highlighting its concerns over the treatment of suspects, including deaths in police custody and prolonged legal proceedings.

It urged Pakistan to prevent and protect individuals and communities against violent reprisals, to repeal its blasphemy laws, ensure fair trials, and prosecute all acts of violence.

“The committee was alarmed by the mass exodus under the Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan, which saw 700,000 individuals, including 101,000 between April and June 2024, deported or returned to Afghanistan,” the committee said in its findings.

The committee highlighted reports of harassment, forced evictions, and the detention of 28,500 Afghans from September to December 2023, which have driven many to return to Afghanistan out of fear.

The committee urged Pakistan to conduct individual assessments of refoulement risks and to mitigate risks faced by vulnerable groups, including the risks of trafficking and exploitation of unaccompanied children. The committee expressed regret for the lack of legislative and institutional framework in line with international law; recommending the ratification of the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Optional Protocol.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024