Babri mosque verdict 'shredded the veneer of so-called secularism of India': Foreign Office

[The Viper]

Pakistan on Saturday expressed "deep concern" over the Indian Supreme Court's ruling in the historic Babri Masjid case, saying it had made it clear that "minorities in India are no longer safe".

While announcing its judgement on a disputed land where Hindu hard-liners demolished the 16th-century Babri mosque in 1992, India's top court earlier in the day ruled in favour of the Hindus and said that a temple will be constructed on the Ayodhya land.

"The decision has, once again, failed to uphold the demands of justice," a statement issued by the Foreign Office said, pointing out that the United Nations had recently noted that the Indian Supreme Court’s response to human rights petitions in the context of Indian-occupied Kashmir had been "slow".

Examine: What the Supreme Court's Ayodhya judgment means for the future of the Republic of India

"This decision points out that when [the court] acts, it is unable to protect the interests of India’s minorities," the press release added.

It said the court's unanimous decision, which is likely to have a significant impact on fraught relations between India’s Hindus and Muslims, "has shredded the veneer of so-called secularism of India by making clear that minorities in India are no longer safe; they have to fear for their beliefs and for their places of worship".

The FO expressed concern that "a process of re-writing history is underway in India in order to recast it in the image of a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ in pursuance of the Hindutva ideology", adding that the trend is also fast affecting India’s major institutions.

"The rising tide of extremist ideology in India, based on the belief of Hindu supremacy and exclusion, is a threat to regional peace and stability," the press release said.

It said the Indian government should ensure protection to Muslims, their lives, rights and properties and "avoid being yet again a silent spectator of Muslims becoming the victims of Hindu extremists and zealots".

The FO also called upon the international community, the UN and other human rights organisations to play their role by "restraining India from its pursuit of an extremist ideology" and to ensure equal rights and protection of the minorities in India.

Also on Saturday, a demonstration was organised by a students organisation in Islamabad to protest against the Indian top court's judgement. The participants held banners against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chanted slogans against the verdict.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1515852/b...-so-called-secularism-of-india-foreign-office

 

[Patriot]

Pakistan shouldn’t get involved in Indian matters. Let India do what it wants and the world will judge it positively or negatively. If India is anti-minority then it will expose itself. Pakistan should stay neutral on such matters.

 

[Extra_Cover]

I agree with [MENTION=44256]Patriot[/MENTION] above, Pakistan should not get involved in this. Let India do whatever they want with its minorities and let the world judge these actions. Having said that if there are blatant human rights violations then not on diplomatic but on humanitarian grounds Pakistan should take a stance and reach out to the international bodies like it has done with Kashmir.

India will reap what its sowing. Although muslims are a minority in India but they are a fairly large number and are in some prominent posts and statuses. India is currently creating a division internally which is never good, if this division gets big enough then voices will automatically be raised hampering the secular image.

This past decade has been the worst decade in recent history with far right parties gaining significant prominence from USA to UK to major countries of Europe to Israel, India, Turkey and Russia. Too many big countries with far right agenda sparks fear of global conflict. Having said that I can see some hope if not in next 5 years then after that that more moderate parties will take over in most of these countries, ofcourse countries like India, Turkey and Israel will take longer to get back to moderate than others simply due to lower level of understanding which is driven from lower level of tolerance in these countries.

 

[msb314]

Pakistan shouldn’t get involved in Indian matters. Let India do what it wants and the world will judge it positively or negatively. If India is anti-minority then it will expose itself. Pakistan should stay neutral on such matters.

Agree with you here - we need to stay out of Indian matters...

 

[Syed1]

Vastly different days for minorities in each country.

In any case India is treading the same path which we did in 70s and 80s and the effect will be felt 20 years from now.

 

[Mamoon]

The fake pir Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who sits cross-legged with a turban and collects money from his serfs, should not be getting involved in India’s internal matters.

However, we need to understand that India is a convenient distraction for this incompetent government to deflect attention from their poor governance.

Furthermore, they have to keep trying after the humiliation at the U.N. where the failed to garner enough support in spite of Imran’s crocodile tears.

Speaking of the fake pir, I thought he would better relate to the Hindus who destroyed the Babri mosque. After all, he did something similar at a smaller scale.

In January 2018, he demolished the wall of the Bahauddin Zakaria University in Multan to accommodate guests for his son’s wedding reception.

 

[Mesozoic]

Pakistan government should be thankful to Modi for distracting it's awaam time and again from it's poor governance.

First with the Kashmir issue and now this.

 

[Patriot]

Pakistan government should be thankful to Modi for distracting it's awaam time and again from it's poor governance.

First with the Kashmir issue and now this.

That’s a 2 way street. The Modi government should be thankful to Pakistan that it’s always a convenient excuse for votes. Lol Pathetic stuff by both governments.

 

[uberkoen]

I'm sorry but this is absurd statement coming from the foreign office of a nation that has absolutely zero respect for its minorities. India at least allotted an alternative land for Muslims to build a mosque whereas in Pakistan religious minorities are oppressed on a daily basis and Ahmedi's aren't even allowed a place of worship.

 

[Mamoon]

What is worse?

Getting allocated a land for a mosque or having Ahmadi mosques destroyed by government officials with no compensation offered? Yes that is what happened in Pakistan last month, when a government official order the destruction of an Ahmadi mosque in Punjab.

Can any champion of human rights in this thread explain why the Foreign Office of Pakistan did not condemn the hideous act and why the government official is still in office?

Or will this be yet against swept under the carpet thanks to our shameless hypocrisy?

 

[Patriot]

If Pakistan is serious about minority rights, then it needs to look inwards and fix its own issues. India has a better record than Pakistan, though even that is nothing special when comparing to Western Europe, which is a champion in minority rights.

However the problem is people like Fazlur Rahman. These are the real cancers of Pakistani society and will never allow Pakistan to progress.

 

[Patriot]

What is worse?

Getting allocated a land for a mosque or having Ahmadi mosques destroyed by government officials with no compensation offered? Yes that is what happened in Pakistan last month, when a government official order the destruction of an Ahmadi mosque in Punjab.

Can any champion of human rights in this thread explain why the Foreign Office of Pakistan did not condemn the hideous act and why the government official is still in office?

Or will this be yet against swept under the carpet thanks to our shameless hypocrisy?

One is terrible and the other is bad. Nothing good about either.