DM Monitoring
Pakistan has expressed deep concern over the “persecution of minorities in India,” calling upon the international community to take note of incidents of vandalism during Christmas and violence against Muslims, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Monday.
In a statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi cited “condemnable incidents of vandalism during Christmas” and what he described as “state-sponsored campaigns targeting Muslims”.
He said actions such as the demolition of Muslims’ homes and “repeated lynchings” had “deepened fear and alienation among Muslims”, pointing in particularly to the case of Muhammad Akhlaq, in which he said the state worked to shield the perpetrators from accountability.
He said “the list of such victims is sadly long” and urged the international community to “take note” and take “appropriate steps” to help protect “the fundamental rights of vulnerable communities in India”
Last week, Christmas celebrations turned sour for the Christian community in India after a violent mob attacked and vandalised decorations in Chhattisgarh’s capital city of Raipur.
A mob armed with wooden sticks vandalised Christmas decorations and installations at a mall ahead of the festival, according to The Indian Express.
The group, reportedly comprising 30 to 40 masked men, stormed the mall during a Chhattisgarh bandh called to protest alleged religious conversion-related violence in Kanker.
Footage of the incident showed suspects moving through the mall and tearing down decorations that had been put up ahead of the Christian festival.
In another such incident, the Vishva Hindu Parishad Bajrang Dal vandalised a school during the Christmas preparations in Assam’s Nalbari district.
Members of the far-right party also torched and damaged festival items, while they also staged a protest against Christmas celebrations in Nalbari, according to a report by The Hindu.
Last month, a US report recommended designating India as a country of “special concern” due to religious prejudice and serious violations of religious freedom.
US Commission on International Religious Freedom, in its report, revealed that Modi and the ruling BJP had implemented discriminatory policies against minorities in line with the Hindutva ideology. It added that the BJP, as the political wing of the RSS, promotes Hindu nationalism.
