ISLAMABAD, Oct 7 (APP):The Spokesperson of Foreign Office on Thursday said Pakistan will continue to sensitize the international community during the ongoing debates at the UNGA in New York and the Human Rights Council in Geneva, about the deteriorating situation of human rights of minorities in India.Speaking at the weekly press briefing here, he said, “We are extremely concerned about the rapidly deteriorating situation of human rights and rights of minorities in India. Not only Muslims but also Dalits, Christians and other minorities in India live in an environment of perpetual fear and intimidation.”
He told that in an extremely disturbing incident on 3 October, a mob of around 500 violent Hindu extremists ransacked and vandalized a Christian prayer house in Roorkee, Uttarkhand and harassed the Sunday Mass attendees. On August 29, in an equally reprehensible incident, a right-wing Hindutva group tried to attack three churches in the district of Kawardha in Chattisgarh.
He said targeting of Muslims also continue with complete impunity in India, aided by the highly discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the Hindutva driven RSS-BJP Combine’s hostility towards Muslims. The brutal eviction drive against the
Muslims of Assam which had rendered thousands of Muslims homeless was a despicable example of this policy.
“Recent incidents of demolition of the ancient Bilal mosque in Haryana and Masjid Ghareeb Nawaz in Uttar Pradesh are glaring examples of Indian state complicity in the acts of repression against Muslims.”
He said minorities in India were being willfully targeted by fascist Hindutva mobs on flimsy pretexts. All of this must be an eye-opener for the world.
“Beneath the veneer of democracy, the reality of today’s India is morbid. The world must arrest India’s open and remorseless transgressions before it is too late.”
Talking about the address of the Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly, he said the Prime Minister shared Pakistan’s perspective on the developments in Afghanistan, the immense sacrifice and losses we have incurred over the years, our constructive role and sincere advice throughout, and the imperative of engaging with Afghanistan now to ensure durable peace in that country.
He said, “We remain deeply concerned on the grave situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where the brutality, state-terrorism, war crimes and systematic violations of human rights continue unabated by the Indian occupation forces.
The extra-judicial killings of innocent Kashmiris and the blatant attempts to turn Muslims into a minority in the IIOJK through distribution of fake ‘domicile certificates’ was another testimony of India’s rapid descent into fascism.
To a question, the Spokesperson said close and regular engagement between Pakistan and the United States had always been mutually beneficial and a factor for stability in South Asia. “We look forward to reinforcing a balanced Pak-US relationship that is anchored in mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas including security, trade, investment, energy and regional connectivity.”