Islamabad, June 12, 2022 (PPI-OT):Pakistan has strongly condemned the heavy-handed treatment by the Indian authorities of Muslims who were registering a peaceful protest after Friday prayers over the derogatory remarks of the two members of the ruling political party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement in Islamabad said, “The indiscriminate and widespread use of brute force by the Indian authorities across various states in India has resulted in the killing of two innocent Muslim protesters and critically injured thirteen others in Ranchi city.”
It is worth mentioning that in Jharkand’s Ranchi, Indian police shot dead two protesters when they opened fire at the demonstrators protesting against a BJP official’s blasphemous comment about Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). According to media reports more than 130 protestors were arrested as country-wide protests broke out in India following a BJP spokesperson’s blasphemous remarks.
Terming the footage of Indian forces unabashedly opening fire on unarmed protesters in Ranchi city as “horrific”, the Foreign Office mentioned that in Uttar Pradesh alone a total of 227 people have been arrested so far. “This is a new low in the Indian government’s repressive ‘Hindutva’ inspired majoritarian policy aimed at demonising and persecuting minorities, especially Muslims,” the ministry said.
The Foreign Office reiterated that Pakistan denounces this shameful treatment of Indian Muslim citizens by the Indian government and expresses its solidarity with the Muslims of India in these testing times.
“It is alarming that despite the global condemnation of the BJP officials’ sacrilegious remarks, the Indian government’s reaction has been muted, while on the other hand the BJP-RSS regime has persisted in its Islamophobic actions and has shamefully chosen to handle public protest with brutal and indiscriminate use of force,” the ministry noted.
The office warned that the Indian Government’s apathy to the grievous situation and the vicious cycle of communal violence may lead to further marginalisation of the Indian Muslims. Reiterating Pakistan’s stance, the Foreign Office once again strongly urged India to ensure that demonstrable action is taken against those responsible for making derogatory remarks and attacking the dignity of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
“The international community must also take immediate cognizance of the grievously aggravating situation of Islamophobia in India and must be held accountable for stifling the rights of the minorities, especially Muslims, and ensure that Muslims living in India are not victimised for practicing their faith and religious beliefs,” it maintained.
For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org
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