ISLAMABAD, Apr 18 (DNA): Pakistan has strongly condemned the campaign of violence and targeted attacks against Muslims by fanatic Hindu mobs in various Indian states. In a statement on Monday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said recent despicable attempt to hoist the saffron flag at Jahangirpuri’s Jamia Masjid in New Delhi where Muslims were waiting to break their fasts, derogatory sloganeering, playing of provocative music and the brandishing of weapons by the procession of Hanuman Shobha Yatra with impunity, reveal the gravity of the state-sanctioned hysteria and hatred in India against Muslims. He said this incident has re-kindled the horrific memories of Delhi pogrom of February 2020 which was aimed to discriminate, dispossess and dehumanize the Muslim community. The Spokesperson said earlier, the Ram Navami riots, which spread out across many Indian states have shone a spotlight on the precipitous slide of India into a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. Harrowing scenes of demolition of houses, businesses and shops belonging to Muslims and the vandalization of Mosques by local authorities in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat reveal the deep penetration of Hindutva ideology into the fabric of Indian state and society. Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said Pakistan notes with deep regret the rapidly increasing trend in India of using religious processions of the Hindu community to fan communal hatred and instigate anti-Muslim violence. Even more alarming is the fact that the local authorities that were evidently complicit in the fear-mongering have launched a concerted campaign against the Muslims on the pretext of crackdown against ‘alleged rioters.’ He said Pakistan calls upon the Government of India to transparently investigate the incidents of widespread violence and intimidation against Muslims and their places of worship and make demonstrable efforts to prevent such incidents from recurring in future. The Foreign Office spokesperson also called upon the international community, particularly the United Nations and relevant international human rights and humanitarian organizations to hold India accountable for its gross and widespread human rights violations against minorities, particularly Muslims. -DNA
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