Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday rejected the findings contained in a report by the US Department of State, on international religious freedoms, and said the document’s segment on Pakistan was a compendium of unsubstantiated and biased assertions.

As a matter of principle, the Foreign Office said in a statement issued here, Pakistan does not support such national reports making observations on the internal affairs of sovereign states.

Pakistan therefore rejects these observations, the statement said.

“Pakistan is a multi-religious, multi-cultural and pluralistic society where people of different faiths are living together,” the statement said, adding that their contributions to the society add to its richness and diversity and their rights are guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan.

These constitutional guarantees are underwritten by a vigilant judiciary that has demonstrated resolve to protect the fundamental rights — including religious freedoms — in recent high profile cases, the statement said.

According to the report issued by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), religious freedom conditions in Pakistan “generally trended negative” in 2018.

“During the year, extremist groups and societal actors continued to discriminate against and attack religious minorities, including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadis, and Shiite Muslims,” the report said.

The Foreign Office statement said that Pakistan was implementing a comprehensive “National Action Plan on Human Rights” with focus on policy and legal reforms, access to Justice and implementing of key human rights priorities.

Officials have also targeted international/UN treaty implementation and implementation and monitoring mechanism for the Action Plan, the statement said.

Funds to the tune of Rs750 million (Dh16.8 million) have been allocated for implementation of the plan. The statement said Pakistan “has always played a positive role and engaged the international community”, including the US, with a view to have better and mutual understanding of the issue of religious freedoms, which are under stress around the world.

It said that Pakistan was of the view that all countries were obliged to promote religious harmony and have a duty to protect their citizens in accordance with national laws and international norms.

The statement said Pakistan has often raised its own concerns internationally including with the Western governments and the US over the growing trend of Islamophobia in their own countries.

At the United Nations, OIC and other platforms, Pakistan will continue to be part of global efforts to combat religious intolerance, discrimination based on religion and belief and Islamophobia, the statement said.