Citing Bengaluru riots, Pakistan Min says Modi govt giving rise to a Hindu state

 

Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said that the Muslim minorities were no more safe in India while accusing the Modi-led BJP government of giving rise to a Hindu state.

His remarks came in the backdrop of the Bengaluru violence, that allegedly began over an offensive post targeting the Muslim community. Three people were killed and around 60 policemen were injured in the riots.

Pakistan is using this violence as its latest ‘weapon’ after failed attempts to raise the Kashmir and Ayodhya issue in the Islamic world.

Claiming that the incident is not India’s internal matter, he urged global rights groups to take steps for the protection and religious rights of minorities in India.

Earlier Qureshi had criticised the Bhoomi Pujan of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, while saying that a mosque was demolished for the construction of the temple.

The Pakistan government had on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the Indian High Commission over the derogatory Facebook post.

In a statement, Pakistan Foreign Office said, “Pakistan lodges strong protest with India on the derogatory social media post … Pakistan has conveyed its strong condemnation to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad … ”. Pakistan claimed that the “offensive post against Islam … reflects the rising Islamophobia and targeting of the minority communities in India”, alleging that the “police instead of preventing this hate crime … used brute force (and) killed at least three protesters … ”.

Pakistan said, “The rising incidents of religious hate crime in India are a direct and inescapable consequence of the RSS-BJP combine’s extremist ideology of ‘Hindutva’. The incident has been viewed with concern and the civil society in Pakistan has called for justice for the minority Muslim community in India.”

Islamabad further said, “Pakistan has called upon the Government of India to investigate the incident and take immediate action against the perpetrators of religious hatred. The Government of India has also been called upon to ensure the safety, security and well-being of the minority communities, particularly Muslims, and take steps to ensure prevention of hate speech and hate crimes against Islam and protection of religious rights of Muslims.”