In this file photo, US ambassador for International Religious Freedom Samuel Brownback attends the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong on March 8, 2019. — Reuters
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has issued a presidential waiver for Pakistan, exempting it from the sanctions that follow a country’s designation as a violator of religious freedom.
On Monday, Secretary Pompeo had designated Pakistan and nine others as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) for alleged continued violations of religious freedom during 2019-20.
Pakistan rejected the designation as an “arbitrary and selective assessment”, which was “completely against the realities on the ground and raises serious doubts about the credibility of the exercise”.