India Rejects Pakistan's Minority Rights Claims: 'Deliberate Political Attack'
India Rejects Pakistan's Minority Rights Claims: 'Deliberate Political Attack'
India's MEA slams Pakistan President's remarks on minority rights, calling them a 'deliberate political attack' amid mosque demolitions in Varanasi. Discover the escalating diplomatic spat!
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has sharply condemned remarks made by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari concerning minority rights in India, labeling them a "deliberate political attack." The MEA dismissed Zardari's comments as "particularly absurd," especially given what it described as Pakistan’s "abysmal record on human rights."
President Zardari's statements followed a notice issued by Indian Railways to occupants of the Ganj Shaheeda mosque, located near the main entrance of Kashi railway station in Varanasi, asking them to vacate the premises by June 20. Zardari expressed "deep concern" over these demolitions and threats to historic Muslim religious sites, including the 1,000-year-old Masjid Ganj Shaheeda. He urged India to halt such actions, warning they could lead to "disintegration and perennial chaos of India," and called for the protection of minority rights and shared cultural heritage.
The notice from Indian Railways is part of an ongoing process to remove encroachments from railway land. This land is required for the expansion and proposed construction works under the Kashi railway station redevelopment project. This development mirrors a similar action on June 3, when the Azgaib Shaheed Mazar and another mosque situated within the railway station premises were demolished. That earlier demolition occurred under heavy security deployment, following a court order concerning a land ownership dispute.
In response, the MEA did not mince words, asserting that "Given this reality, the President’s remarks can only be read as a deliberate political attack, driven by Pakistan’s national policies of bigotry and hatred." The strong rebuttal underscores the escalating diplomatic tensions between the two nations over internal affairs and human rights allegations.
