The Indian government on Saturday rejected Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s remarks about the demolition of historic Muslim sites in India, with the external affairs ministry describing the comments as a “deliberate political attack” driven by Pakistan’s policies of bigotry and hatred.
Zardari had said in a social media post that India should immediately stop such actions and protect minority rights and the shared cultural heritage of the two countries.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to Zardari’s comments by saying that India “categorically rejects the unwarranted comments made by the President of Pakistan”.
Jaiswal added: “He has, in any case, no locus standi to comment on matters that are internal to India.”
Zardari’s comments are “particularly absurd given Pakistan’s own abysmal record on human rights, which is a matter of global commentary”, he pointed out. Pakistan’s “long history of systematically targeting and victimising minorities across various faiths is notorious”, he said.
“Given this reality, the President’s remarks can only be read as a deliberate political attack, driven by Pakistan’s national policies of bigotry and hatred,” Jaiswal said.
A social media post by the Pakistani President’s office said Zardari had “expressed deep concern over the demolitions and threats to historic Muslim religious sites in India, including the 1,000-year-old Masjid Ganj Shaheeda in Varanasi”.
Zardari asked India to “immediately stop such actions, warning that they risk leading to the disintegration and perennial chaos of India”. He also called for the “protection of minority rights and shared cultural heritage”.
