•HRES 164 IH 
assassination in Faisalabad of Christian Pastor Rashid 
Emmanuel and his brother Sajjad as a police officer es-
corted them from a court hearing on the blasphemy 
charges against them; 
Whereas there is a correlation between the lack of religious 
freedom protections for all, the persecution of religious 
minorities, and the rise of violent religious extremism, 
which threatens Pakistan’s national security as well as 
the security interests of the United States and its inter-
national partners; 
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly and Human 
Rights Council have continued to adopt resolutions on 
‘‘defamation of religion’’ or ‘‘vilification of religion’’ that 
fail to address the abuses associated with blasphemy laws 
and elevate the ‘‘rights’’ of a religion over an individual’s 
right to freedom of religion and freedom of speech as rec-
ognized by international human rights standards; 
Whereas incidents of religious intolerance, discrimination, 
and related violence, as well as of negative stereotyping 
of the individual based on religion or belief, plague many 
countries and effective measures should be taken con-
sistent with their obligations under international human 
rights law to address and combat such incidents; 
Whereas Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights recognizes that ‘‘Everyone has the right to free-
dom of thought, conscience and religion; this right in-
cludes freedom to change his religion or belief, and free-
dom, either alone or in community with others and in 
public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in 
teaching, practice, worship and observance’’; 
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•HRES 164 IH 
Whereas Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights recognizes that ‘‘Everyone has the right to free-
dom of opinion and expression; this right includes free-
dom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, 
receive and impart information and ideas through any 
media and regardless of frontiers’’; 
Whereas Articles 18 and 19 of the International Covenant on 
Civil and Political Rights protect freedom of religion and 
expression enshrined in the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights; 
Whereas Minister Bhatti gave his life to uphold the universal 
values of freedom of religion and expression for the sake 
of vulnerable minorities; 
Whereas it is the foreign policy of the United States to pro-
mote internationally the right of everyone to freedom of 
thought, conscience, and religion, as well as freedom of 
speech in accordance with international human rights 
standards; and 
Whereas these values are advanced through interfaith dia-
logue, punishment of violence and discrimination against 
religious individuals, and by governments and other lead-
ers, including the media, choosing to set an example of 
civil and responsible discourse: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that the United States should— 
(1) include a special working group on inter-
faith harmony and religious tolerance in United 
States-Pakistan strategic dialogues to discuss ways 
to continue the vision of Shahbaz Bhatti in both 
countries; 
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•HRES 164 IH 
(2) urge the Government of the Islamic Repub-
lic of Pakistan to reform the blasphemy law, so as 
to ensure it is no longer abused to limit the rights 
of Pakistanis, whether Muslims or religious minori-
ties; 
(3) assist efforts to protect the religious free-
dom of all Pakistanis through prioritizing the pre-
vention of religiously motivated and sectarian vio-
lence, enhancing training for local law enforcement 
including emergency response and scene investiga-
tion, prompt and thorough investigation of any inci-
dents of violence, and training of judges on inter-
national human rights obligations; 
(4) work with its partners in the United Na-
tions to support resolutions promoting religious free-
dom and tolerance, including the prevention of nega-
tive stereotyping of individuals based on religion or 
belief; 
(5) engage with its international partners to en-
sure promotion of interreligious dialogue and protec-
tion and promotion of religious freedom and related 
human rights for all people by— 
(A) supporting civil society institutions 
that work to uphold and guarantee religious 
freedom and related human rights; 
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•HRES 164 IH 
(B) promoting interreligious dialogue de-
signed to strengthen civil society and advance 
religious freedom; 
(C) using all available tools of public diplo-
macy to spread positive messages about reli-
gious freedom and tolerance; 
(D) encouraging efforts to strengthen in-
stitutions crucial to rule of law and good gov-
ernance, particularly the judiciary and police; 
and 
(E) recognizing the importance of pro-
grams such as the Fulbright Program, the 
International Visitor Program, and other ex-
changes for professionals, students, and reli-
gious and civil society leaders from diverse com-
munities, including programs that emphasize 
tolerance for minority groups; and 
(6) call on the Government of Pakistan and all 
other governments to continue the same tradition of 
leadership and courage as was shown by Minister 
Bhatti in the fight against violent religious extre-
mism in every form. 
Æ 
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