ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has condemned the demolition of an ancient mosque in the Indian state of Haryana, and called on the United Nations (UN), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other human rights organizations, to hold India “accountable.”
Indian authorities razed Bilal Masjid in Haryana’s Faridabad area earlier this week. Pictures and videos purportedly showing the demolition operation were widely circulated on social media, with heavy machinery seen tearing down the building.
Attacks on members of religious and ethnic minorities and their places of worship have become frequent in India, whose government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is accused of discriminating against the minority community in the Hindu-majority country. Modi denies the charge.
“Pakistan strongly condemns unjust demolition of Bilal Mosque in Haryana by Indian authorities, in consort with pliant judiciary under Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh regime,” Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, a spokesperson of the Pakistani Foreign Office, said in a statement, referring to the ruling party of India.
“The Hindutva driven BJP-RSS combine’s perpetual targeting of Muslims and their places of worship is indelible blot on the so-called ‘largest democracy’.”
The statement also recalled the Indian Supreme Court’s November 2019 judgment that allowed the construction of Ram Mandir at the site of the historic the 16th-century Babri Mosque, demolished in 1992 by Hindu mobs, triggering riots in which about 2,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed across India.
Court battles over the ownership of the site followed, ending in 1992 when the court awarded the bitterly contested religious site to Hindus.
“The Indian judiciary was also culpable in acquitting the criminals who had organized the destruction of the Babri Masjid in public glare,” the Pakistani statement said.
Muslims and their places of worship were attacked “with state complicity” during anti-Muslim pogroms in Gujarat and New Delhi in February 2020, it said.
The Pakistani foreign office also urged the international community, particularly the UN, OIC and other rights organizations, to “hold India accountable for systematic human rights violations of minorities, especially Muslims.”
Pakistan condemns demolition of ancient mosque, calls on UN, OIC to hold India ‘accountable’
https://arab.news/c53cs
Pakistan condemns demolition of ancient mosque, calls on UN, OIC to hold India ‘accountable’
- Indian authorities demolished ancient Bilal Masjid in Haryana’s Faridabad area earlier this week
- Foreign office says India’s targeting of Muslims "indelible blot on the so-called ‘largest democracy’"
Pakistan to play India in T20 World Cup, government says
- Islamabad announced boycotting the Feb. 15 match in Colombo to protest the ICC’s exclusion of Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup
- Pakistan’s government says the decision to play India is taken to protect ‘spirit of cricket and to support the continuity of global sport’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has cleared the country’s cricket team to play India in the T20 World Cup on Feb. 15, the Pakistani government announced late Monday, ending a week-long standoff.
Islamabad announced boycotting the Feb. 15 match in Colombo to protest the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) exclusion of Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup, following Dhaka’s decision to not play matches in India owing to security fears.
On Sunday, ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja arrived in Lahore for talks with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam as the sport’s governing body strived to save the high-stakes T20 World Cup encounter.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met PM Sharif late Monday and briefed him regarding the outcomes of high-level deliberations held between the PCB, Bangladesh board and ICC representatives, the Pakistani government said on X.
“The Government of Pakistan has reviewed the formal requests extended to the PCB by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, as well as the supporting communications from Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, and other member nations. These correspondences sought Pakistan’s leadership in securing a viable solution to recent challenges,” the Pakistani government said.
“In view of the outcomes achieved in multilateral discussions, as well as the request of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field on February 15, 2026, for its scheduled fixture in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.”
The BCB earlier thanked the PCB, ICC and all others for their positive roles in trying to “overcome recent challenges,” particularly thanking PCB Chairman Naqvi and Pakistani cricket fans for demonstrating “exemplary sportsmanship and solidarity.”
“We are deeply moved by Pakistan’s efforts to go above and beyond in supporting Bangladesh during this period. Long may our brotherhood flourish,” BCB President Islam said in a statement.
“Following my short visit to Pakistan yesterday and given the forthcoming outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup game on 15 February against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem.”
The dispute stemmed from the ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland last month after Bangladesh refused to play tournament matches in India. Dhaka’s decision followed the removal of Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was bought for $1 million by the IPL’s Kolkata Knight Riders, but on Jan. 3 the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ordered Kolkata to release Mustafizur without a public explanation but amid regional tensions.
Pakistani cricket authorities subsequently announced boycotting the match against India at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Feb. 15. An India-Pakistan fixture is the sport’s most lucrative asset, generating a massive share of global broadcasting and sponsorship revenue.
“This decision [to play India in T20 World Cup] has been taken with the aim of protecting the spirit of cricket, and to support the continuity of this global sport in all participating nations,” the Pakistani government said.
“We remain confident that our team will carry the spirit of sportsmanship and national pride onto the field as they compete for global glory.”
