ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Thursday denounced the opening of a Free Balochistan Movement office in New Delhi as a clear example of Indian interference in Pakistan, and evidence of India’s “hegemonic designs.”
“India needs to act as a responsible member of the international community and desist from such actions,” said Foreign Office spokesman Dr. Muhammad Faisal.
Highlighting alleged interference by India in Pakistan’s affairs to stir dissent and chaos, he cited that the case of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav as evidence of “Indian terrorism and espionage.”
“Indian actions are against inter-state norms and threaten regional peace and tranquility,” said Faisal, adding that Pakistan was fully equipped to defend itself against such acts.
He also said Pakistan’s case in the International Court of Justice against Jadhav was “very strong,” because he was apprehended on Pakistani soil and had confessed to working for Indian intelligence agency.
India opened the Free Baluchistan Movement office on June 23, 2018. A ceremony was held to mark the occasion, attended by about 50 Indians, according to local media. The office reportedly will be run by Dr. Naila Baloch, a 53-year-old Baloch politician, women’s-rights activist, author and poet, hailing from Quetta. She is known to give emotional sermons about Baloch rights and opposing the growing strategic ties between Pakistan and China.
Free Balochistan office in New Delhi a sign of India’s ‘hegemonic designs’
Free Balochistan office in New Delhi a sign of India’s ‘hegemonic designs’
- Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman tells India to act responsibly and stop such interference
- The case of spy Kulbhushan Jadhav is further evidence of ‘Indian terrorism and espionage,’ he adds
Pakistan expresses concern over vigilante attacks targeting Christians, Muslims in India
- Rights organizations have raised alarm over vandalism by far-right Indian Hindu groups to disrupt Christmas events
- Pakistan urges international community to take steps to protect vulnerable communities from future attacks in India
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson on Monday expressed concern over acts of vandalism and violence targeting Christians and Muslims in India, urging the international community to protect vulnerable communities there.
Christian and rights organizations have raised alarm over attempts by some Hindu far-right groups recently to disrupt Christmas celebrations in India. These included a series of attacks targeting members of the minority community there.
In one of the videos that went viral on social media, a local leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party, Anju Bharvaga, can be seen assaulting a visually impaired Christian woman attending a Christmas event in Jabalpur city. Christian watchdog Open Doors International has said it recorded over 60 alleged attacks targeting Christians across India during the Christmas period.
“The persecution of minorities in India is a matter of deep concern,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
“Recent condemnable incidents of vandalism during Christmas, as well as state-sponsored campaigns targeting Muslims — including the demolition of their homes and repeated lynchings, notably the case of Muhammad Akhlaq, in which the state worked to shield the perpetrators from accountability — have deepened fear and alienation among Muslims,” it added.
Akhlaq, then 50, was beaten to death by a Hindu mob in 2015 in India’s Uttar Pradesh state after rumors spread he had stored and consumed beef, a claim his family denies.
The BJP-led state government of Uttar Pradesh recently asked a local court to drop the charges against the men involved in his lynching, triggering anger among rights activists in India.
Pakistan’s foreign office said the list of such victims of vigilante attacks in India is “sadly long.”
“The international community should take note of these developments and take appropriate steps to help protect the fundamental rights of vulnerable communities in India,” it said.
A report by US State Department in August said the Indian government took “minimal credible steps” or actions to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses in the country.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also fault Modi’s government for its treatment of minorities in India.
They point to rising hate speeches, a religion-based citizenship law the UN calls “fundamentally discriminatory,” anti-conversion legislation that challenges freedom of belief, the 2019 removal of Muslim-majority Kashmir’s special status, and the demolition of properties owned by Muslims.
Modi denies discrimination and says his policies, such as food subsidy programs and electrification drives, benefit everyone.
