The US has placed Pakistan on a ‘Special Watch List’ for “severe violations” of religious freedom, making it the only country to be put under the newly-formed list.
It has also re-designated about 10 countries as ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ under its International Religious Freedom (IRF) Act.
They are Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The Special Watch List is for countries that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom but may not rise to level of ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ list.
It is new category created under International Religious Freedom Act of 2016.
These designations are aimed at improving the respect for religious freedom in these countries.