India is a fascist state: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday called upon the international community to see the reality of India as "state-sponsor of terrorism" and also a "purveyor of anti-Pakistan propaganda globally". The Foreign Office Spokesperson, at a weekly press briefing, said India, which masqueraded itself as a victim of terrorism for too long, had fully been exposed at international level. He said that India is not democratic but fascist state. Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry mentioned that the international scrutiny of India’s global disinformation campaign against Pakistan continued following the release of EU DisInfo Lab report that exposed India-backed network of media outlets. He termed the hearing by the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union including Disinformation as "an acknowledgment of the international community against misuse of prestigious platforms by India against Pakistan".

On situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), he said, the Kashmiris in IIOJ&K and all over the world observed the Republic Day of India on January as Black Day. "By observing the Republic Day of India as Black Day, the Kashmiris, once again, made their aspirations clear," he said.

The FO Spokesman said they sent an unambiguous message to the world community that Kashmiris would never accept India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the indigenous movement of the Kashmiri people for their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, would only become stronger in the face of state-terrorism by the RSS-BJP regime.

The Spokesperson expressed Pakistan's deep concern over the continued incarceration and deteriorating health conditions of Kashmiri leaders, including Asiya Andrabi, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Yasin Malik, Masarat Alam Bhat, Mohammad Ashraf Sehraie and others.

He mentioned that the Indian government, through invoking draconian laws, promulgated in IIOJ&K had illegally arrested these Kashmiri leaders over malicious, false and fabricated charges. "Imprisonment and torturing of Kashmiri leaders on the basis of their political ideology and struggle against illegal Indian occupation is a true reflection of the extremist mindset of the RSS-BJP regime which has no respect for the human rights of the Kashmiri people," he said.

Zahid Chaudhry said Pakistan once again called upon the international community, particularly the United States (US), United Nations, ICRC and human rights and humanitarian organizations, to take notice of the Indian government’s inhuman treatment of the Kashmiri leaders and raise voice for their immediate release from illegal Indian detention.

He mentioned that Human Rights Watch in its World Report 2021 highlighted that the BJP-led government had increasingly "harassed, arrested, and prosecuted" the rights defenders, activists, journalists, students, academics and those critics of the government or its policies. The report, he said, has further stated that, “hundreds of people remained detained without charge in Jammu and Kashmir under the draconian Public Safety Act.”

The FO Spokesperson said the South Asia Collective in its annual report titled, ‘South Asia - State of Minorities Report 2020,’ also underscored that “India has become a dangerous and violent space for Muslim minorities,” ever since the ruling Hindu nationalist party BJP came to power.

The report underlined that hate crimes against minorities have seen a spike taking the form of mob lynching and vigilante violence against Muslims, Christians, and Dalits, he added.

The Spokesperson said Pakistan rejected the launch of Ayodhya mosque project in India replacing historic Babri Masjid, which was demolished by extremist Hindu mob comprising Sangh Parivar groups in 1992. "The BJP government cannot mislead the world by such fabrications or hide its deep hatred for minorities in India, especially Muslims.

The formal launch of the Ayodhya mosque on India’s Republic Day is feigning false pretentions of secularism in India while the minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship are increasingly under attack," he stressed.

He said willful targeting of Muslims was rampant in BJP’s India ranging from its policies of disenfranchising Muslims to the recent increase in targeting of Muslim men under the guise of ‘Love-Jihad’ and other anti-Muslim measures like their demonizing, dispossessing, marginalizing and subjecting to targeted violence.

The Spokesperson said Pakistan once again urged the Indian government to ensure safety, security and protection of minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship, and fulfill its responsibilities under Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments of the United Nations, including the recommendations of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.