Islamabad, Pakistan has officially condemned the construction and consecration of the ‘Ram Temple’ on the site of the demolished Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India, calling for international intervention against rising Islamophobia in India.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch expressed Pakistan’s position in a statement from Islamabad. Baloch called on the United Nations and other international organizations to intervene in protecting Islamic heritage sites in India from extremist groups and to ensure the protection of religious and cultural rights of minorities in the country.

The statement also urged the Indian government to ensure the safety and security of its religious minorities, particularly Muslims, and their places of worship. The demolition of the Babri Masjid, a centuries-old mosque, by extremists on December 6, 1992, was cited as a deeply regrettable act that was later compounded by the Indian judiciary’s decision to acquit those responsible and to permit the construction of the Ram Temple on the mosque’s site.

Baloch described the developments leading to the temple’s consecration as symptomatic of increasing majoritarianism in India, contributing to the social, economic, and political marginalization of Indian Muslims. She expressed concern that the temple built on the mosque’s ruins would permanently mar India’s democratic face.

The statement also highlighted the vulnerability of other mosques in India, including the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Eidgah Mosque in Mathura, to similar threats of desecration and destruction.

The spokesperson further emphasized the risk posed by the rise of ‘Hindutva’ ideology in India to religious harmony and regional peace, noting statements from the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh regarding the demolition of the Babri Mosque and the inauguration of the ‘Ram Temple’ as part of a broader agenda.