Pakistan Image Rebuilding – Burning Issues – Free PDF Download

PAKISTAN’S IMAGE

• Among the key findings of the report issued by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) were, in 2018, religious freedom conditions in Pakistan generally trended negative despite the government taking some positive steps to promote religious freedom and combat religiously motivated violence and hate speech.
• During the year, extremist groups and societal actors continued to discriminate against and attack religious minorities, including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadis, and Shi’a Muslims, the report said.

PAKISTAN’S IMAGE

• It said that the Pakistan government failed to adequately protect these groups, and it perpetrated systematic, ongoing, egregious religious freedom violations.
• Also forced conversions of non-Muslims continued despite the passage of the Hindu Marriage Act, which recognises Hindu family law, and these occurred despite some optimism about the potential for reform under the new government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the report said.

PAKISTAN’S IMAGE REBUILDING PROCESS

• Pakistan opens 1000-year-old Shawala Teja Singh temple in Punjab for worship after 72 years
• The temple was partially damaged during attacks on temples here in reaction to Babri Mosque in 1992

MINORITY CARE

• Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.
• According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan.

KARTARPUR CORRIDOR

KARTARPUR CORRIDOR

• 5,000 pilgrims will be allowed to visit Kartarpur Sahib per day: Pakistan Visa free

SHARDA PEETH CORRIDOR

• Kashmiri Pandit organisations have been demanding opening of the Sharda Peeth corridor for many years now
• Established in 237 BC during the reign of Ashoka, Sharada Peeth is an abandoned temple and ancient centre of learning dedicated to the Hindu goddess of learning. Between the 6th and 12th centuries CE, Sharada Peeth was one of the foremost temple universities of the Indian subcontinent.

OTHER MEASURES

USING MEDIA INFLUENCERS TO IMPROVE PAKISTAN’S IMAGE

PAKISTAN IS AGGRESSIVELY TRYING TO IMPROVE IT’S IMAGE, BUT PROBLEM REMAINS

• Following announcement of its liberal visa policy, Pakistan has urged the foreign countries to revise their travel advisories as the country is now safe for tourists to visit.
• Most big countries in the world including the US, Canada, UK and Australia still keep Pakistan on ‘reconsider travel’ category, meaning to avoid unnecessary travel to the country.

U.S TRAVEL ADVISORY

• The US travel advisory keeps Pakistan at level three, one step short of ‘Do Not Travel’ category. It advises its citizens to ‘Reconsider Travel to Pakistan’ due to terrorism as some areas have increased risk factors.
•  It also advises its citizens ‘Do not Travel’ to certain areas including: Balochistan province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, and the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), due to terrorism.

THE UNITED KINGDOM

• The UK has also rated Pakistan at medium-high risk level.
• In its travel advisory, it has warned travellers of risk of street crime urging them to take sensible measures to protect yourself and your belongings. Take particular care of your passport, bankcards, bags, jewellery, laptop and mobile, especially on public transport, when travelling to and from the airport and in crowded areas, including markets.
• Much of Balochistan, rural Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Agencies, have a high level of lawlessness.

PROBLEMS FOR INDIA

• Khalistani sepratists in Kartarpur corridor panel
• Pakistan could use Indian tourists in Pakistan to spread radicalisation in India

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