Jodhpur killings to be raised at every forum: Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Wednesday India was continuously denying investigation into the mysterious killing of 11 Pakistani Hindu nationals and vowed that Pakistan would raise the matter at all international forums.

Talking to the members of Hindu community led by MNA Ramesh Kumar outside the Foreign Office, Qureshi assured them that Pakistan would not inch back till getting justice for the bereaved family.

Eleven members of a Pakistani Hindu family were killed under mysterious circumstances during their visit to Jodhpur area of Rajasthan in India. The daughter of the head of the family had held the Indian intelligence agency RAW responsible for the heinous murders.

The foreign minister said doubts were being created due to the dodgy responses by India as it was not willing to share any information.

“But I assure my Hindu community that Pakistan stands by them and will raise the issue at every international forum,” he said, adding the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi was also actively pursuing the matter.

Qureshi said the Pakistan government had high respect for human life and recalled how the Supreme Court immediately reacted to a recent attack at a Hindu place of worship. He said the government immediately took action and all the culprits were arrested.

He said the Hindu community needed to rest assured that the government would pursue the genuine demand of the community. He said India had been sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan, adding: “It only came to fore with the arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav and the recent disclosures by the EU DisInfo Lab which showed how the fake media, NGOs and even parliamentarians were being used against Pakistan.”

The real face of India stood exposed, Qureshi said, as he mentioned that India took lives of its own 40 military personnel in the Pulwama attack to shift blame on Pakistan.

The foreign minister said Hindu community was positively contributing to the development and stability of Pakistan. A female member of the Hindu community told Qureshi that the Indian government had filed a case against some planted people, who were not being persecuted, adding her family members were running from pillar to post to get the remains of their loved ones.

MNA Kumar, also the patron of Pakistan Hindu Council, said the minorities in Pakistan enjoyed full protection and added India must fulfil its responsibilities towards protection of foreign citizens visiting the country.

He called for approaching the Human Rights Commission of United Nations and other international human rights watchdogs on the issue. He urged India to hand over the remains of the slain Hindus at the earliest.

Kumar on behalf of the Hindu community also presented a formal petition to the foreign minister.

Earlier, the Hindu community held a strong protest outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and submitted an application with demands for investigation into the killings, besides sharing details of the first information report (FIR).