By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday urged the Indian government to ensure the safety, security, and protection of minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship.
The Foreign Office in a statement issued on the 31st anniversary of the demolition of the historic Babri Mosque said the day was a sad reminder where a mob of Hindu zealots demolished the centuries-old mosque in Ayodhya in full view of Indian law enforcement authorities.
“It is lamentable that India’s superior judiciary not only acquitted the criminals responsible for this hateful act but also allowed the construction of a temple on the site of the demolished Mosque,” the FO statement said. The Foreign Office said the temple was expected to be inaugurated in January 2024 – months before the next general elections in India. It said the anti-Muslim frenzy that caused the Babri Mosque’s destruction remains unabated.
A few weeks ago, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh publicly cited the Mosque’s demolition as a template to reclaim parts of Pakistan. The statement added that elements belonging to the ruling dispensation in India continue to incite hysteria and hatred against Muslims. “Today, Hindu supremacist groups are demanding conversion of many other mosques into temples, including the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and Shahi Eidgah Mosque in Mathura,” it said. The FO said several mosques and shrines had already been demolished under the garb of different administrative measures or judicial processes. Muslim holy sites also remain a target of attacks by the mobs of extremists, it added. “The international community must take cognizance of the growing Islamophobia, hate speech, and hate crimes in India,” it said.
Earlier, The state-sponsored persecution of minorities and mob violence has put the Narendra Modi’s India of today at the risk of tearing itself apart. The hate crimes and violence against minorities including Muslims, Christians, Dalit and others were on constant surge being provoked by ruling BJP leaders, backed the discriminatory legislation and also stamped by the Indian judiciary.
Since Modi’s reelection in 2019, the government has pushed controversial policies that explicitly ignore Muslims’ rights and are intended to disenfranchise millions of Muslims. Around two hundred million Muslims account for about 15 percent of the population – by far the largest minority group. The religious persecution has dramatically accelerated under Prime Minister Narendra Modi who rose through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a paramilitary Hindu organization promoting Hindu supremacy.
“But the reality of India includes largely uncontrolled — and often state‐encouraged — violence against religious minorities. Muslims, the most populous minority, are frequently targeted. Christians, a much smaller, more vulnerable group, are also brutally mistreated,” Doug Bandow, Senior Fellow at US-based Cato Institute wrote in an article.
