Pak tops list of countries suffering most from religious hostilities

Pakistan has surpassed 198 countries to occupy the top spot in a list of countries suffering the most from social hostilities involving religion, the Pew Research Center's report showed.

Based on 2007-2012 statistics, the report issued two indices namely the Government Restrictions Index (GRI) and the Social Hostilities Index (SHI).

While the former measures government laws, policies and actions restricting religious beliefs and practices, the latter measures acts of religious hostility by private individuals, organizations or groups in society, the Express Tribune reported.

According to results, India and Afghanistan along with some other nations worldwide were also listed in the SHI index, except America.

The countries surveyed in 2012 reported 20 percent rise in incidents of official bans, harassment or other government interference in comparison to 28 percent in 2011 and 20 per cent in mid-2007.

Egypt, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia reportedly faced most government restrictions, the report stated.