Washington: US has included Pakistan and China in the list of countries where violation of religious freedom is a matter of great concern. In a statement issues on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompio said that apart from Pakistan and China, Myanmar, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were placed in the list for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.

The State Department has put Comoros, Cuba, Nicaragua and Russia on a special watch list where governments are either involved in "serious violations of religious freedom" or are allowing it to happen. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo further said, "Religious freedom is an inalienable right and the foundation of free societies on which they thrive."

He said that today America has once again taken steps to protect those who want this freedom. The US has made "special concern to terrorist organizations, Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, Houthi, ISIS, ISIS-Greater Sahara, ISIS-West Africa, Jamaat Nasser al-Islawal Muslimin and Taliban.

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