Permeation of Hindutva in Indian politics deeply concerning for Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, July 7::Hindutva and its various manifestations, especially its glimpses in the contemporary Indian politics had made it deeply concerning for Pakistan, said Mr S.M. Hali. He was addressing a gathering at the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) here on Wednesday. He said that while it had been several years that Hindutva had been at play, its evolution over the past decade, especially its inroads into mainstream Indian politics was rather alarming. He added that considering the fact that the stated goal at the heart of the ideology was the formation of a Hindu rashtra with the elimination and erasure of anything or anyone non-Hindu, the attitude of the Indian government towards the minorities, especially Muslims under the current BJP regime was deeply concerning. Mr Hali highlighted several instances from recent past to establish India’s blatant abuse of power in various forms. The tactics and ploys that the current Indian government was using to subjugate the Muslims in India and also those based in Kashmir were in fact a direct mockery of the justice systems for minorities, he said. Dr Hali further added that under the leadership of a self-confessed RSS activist, the contemporary Indian politics had turned into a mirror of Hindutva-led policies and practices. The only possible solution to this, he said, lied in producing counter-narratives that were strong enough to discredit the prevailing horrors of Hindutva. However this, he added, was a long-term plan and required years of concerted efforts towards the end.-PR