FO rebuffs Indian spokesperson's irresponsible remarks

ISLAMABAD:The Foreign Office Monday rejected remarks of an official spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) over comments made by the Pakistani leadership regarding minorities rights in the neighbouring country.

The remarks made by MEAs spokesperson were termed irresponsible and completely ill-founded, which are reflective of Indian perennial state of denial with regard to the rights of minorities, particularly Muslims, in India.

Responding to a media query, the FO spokesperson, in a press release, said, India would be well-advised to heed the calls of its own minorities and civil society, its neighbours, and the international community and take effective steps to protect the fundamental rights of minorities in India.

The treatment of minorities in India is a matter of serious concern not only for the Indian minorities and the neighbouring countries but also for the international community, the press release said.

It further said it was deeply disconcerting that the discriminatory and anti-Muslim policies and practices of the RSS-inspired BJP government persisted even as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded.

A systematic campaign remains underway to demonise Muslims, who face further exclusion as well as increasing threat of mob violence. These instances have been extensively documented in the Indian and international media and people of conscience worldwide are raising

their voices, it added.