ISLAMABAD: Rebutting Indian foreign minister's remarks regarding minorities' rights in Pakistan, the Foreign Office on Saturday said that New Delhi was in no position to champion minorities' rights in light of its own shortcomings.
"India is in no position to champion minority rights, as it remains a serial violator of those very rights," read a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in response to the remarks made by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during a Lok Sabha session.
The Indian official, on Friday, had spoken about "crimes and atrocities against minorities" in Pakistan, reported Hindustan Times.
However, rebutting Jaishankar's remarks, FO Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan highlighted that state institutions were actively working to safeguard minorities as a matter of policy in Pakistan.
In stark contrast, the statement added, incidents targeting minorities in India frequently occur with the tacit approval — or even complicity — of elements within the ruling dispensation.
Highlgihting that systematic promotion of hatred, discrimination, and violence against minorities in India was well-documented, the MoFA recalled various discriminatory and anti-minority events and measures in India including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), bulldozing of homes, 2002 Gujarat massacre to the 2020 Delhi pogrom, demolition of the Babri Mosque in 1992 and subsequent consecration of a temple on its ruins in 2024 and cow vigilantism and mob lynchings to attacks on mosques and shrines.
"India's record is marred by egregious and systemic violations of minority rights, particularly those of Muslims," the FO remarked.
Furthermore, Islamabad also noted that rather than feigning concern for minorities elsewhere, the Indian government would do well to address its own failures.
"It must take concrete steps to ensure the safety, protection, and well-being of minorities — including Muslims — and safeguard their places of worship, cultural heritage, and fundamental rights".
