ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday condemned anti-Azaan (Muslims’ call to prayer) measures around various mosques in the Indian state of Karnataka, the Pakistani foreign office said, describing it as a “new level of religious radicalism.”
Rights groups and minority leaders say religious freedom has significantly deteriorated in India under the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which denies it discriminates against Muslims or any other religious minorities.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom last month asked India be placed on a list of “countries of particular concern” — a recommendation that angered New Delhi and was virtually certain to be dismissed by the US State Department.
This is the third straight year, the panel, which is appointed to offer recommendations but does not set US policy, has voiced wide concern about South Asia.
“Pakistan condemns in the strongest possible terms the highly deplorable incidents involving playing of Hanuman Chalisa and other Hindu devotional songs on loudspeakers as a counter to the Muslims’ call to prayer at various mosques in Indian state of Karnataka,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
It said the disturbing incidents occurred only a day after Sri Ram Sena chief made the despicable call for “drowning” the Azaan through provocative playing of Hanuman Chalisa and other Hindu religious hymns.
“It is condemnable that a reprehensible so-called ‘Azan se Azaadi’ campaign has been launched by Hindu fanatic groups in Karnataka which lays bare the new level of religious radicalism in the BJP (Bharataiya Janata Party)-ruled India,” the statement read.
The Pakistani foreign office said loudspeakers were being removed from mosques across various states in India on the pretext of ensuring “communal harmony.”
“The ‘othering’ of Muslims in India and exclusionary policies aimed at denying their fundamental right to profess and practice their religion, only expose the deep-seated anti-Muslim prejudices in the Indian state and society,” it said further.
Islamabad called upon the Indian government to transparently investigate the incidents of widespread violence against minorities, particularly Muslims, and their places of worship, and take measures to stop such incidents in the future.
The government of India must ensure the safety, security and well-being of minorities, it added.
The foreign office urged the international community to take note of the aggravating situation of Islamophobia in India, and play its due role in ensuring religious freedom and safety of Muslims residing in India.
In 2021, several attacks targeted religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in India as PM Modi’s government promoted its “ideological vision of a Hindu state” through policies hostile to minorities.
Mobs and vigilante groups have carried out campaigns of threats and violence against minorities, giving rise to a culture of impunity in the South Asian country.
Pakistan condemns anti-Azaan measures in India’s Karnataka, calls it ‘religious radicalism’
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Pakistan condemns anti-Azaan measures in India’s Karnataka, calls it ‘religious radicalism’
- A US commission last month said religious freedom had ‘significantly’ worsened in India
- In 2021, several attacks targeted religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians
Islamabad steps up vehicle checks to boost security as 166,000 cars get electronic tags
- Authorities say over 3,000 vehicles registered in past 24 hours as enforcement intensifies
- Extended service hours introduced to push full compliance with digital monitoring system
ISLAMABAD: Authorities in the Pakistani capital have intensified enforcement against vehicles without mandatory electronic tags with more than 166,000 cars now registered, according to data released on Sunday evening, as Islamabad moves to strengthen security and digital monitoring at key entry and exit points.
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration introduced the electronic tagging system late last year as part of a broader effort to regulate traffic, improve record-keeping and enhance surveillance in a city that hosts the country’s main government institutions, foreign missions and diplomatic enclaves.
Under the system, vehicles are fitted with electronic tags that can be read automatically by scanners installed at checkpoints across the capital, allowing authorities to identify unregistered vehicles without manual inspections. Vehicles already equipped with a motorway tag, or m-tag, are exempt from the requirement.
“A total of 166,888 vehicles have successfully been issued M-Tags so far, including 3,130 vehicles in the last 24 hours,” the ICT administration said, according to the Excise Department.
Officials said readers installed at checkpoints across Islamabad are fully operational and are being used to stop vehicles still without tags, as enforcement teams carry out checks across the city.
To facilitate compliance, authorities have expanded installation facilities and extended operating hours. The Excise Department said m-tag installation is currently available at 17 booth locations, while select centers have begun operating beyond normal working hours.
According to Director General Excise Irfan Memon, m-tag centers at 26 Number Chungi and 18 Meel are providing services round the clock, while counters at Kachnar Park and F-9 Park remain open until midnight to accommodate motorists unable to visit during daytime hours.
Officials said the combination of enforcement and facilitation was aimed at achieving full compliance with minimal disruption, adding that operations would continue until all vehicles operating in the capital are brought into the system.
The enforcement drive builds on a wider push by the federal government to integrate traffic management, emergency response and security monitoring through technology-driven “safe city” initiatives. Last month, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reviewed Islamabad’s surveillance infrastructure and said reforms in monitoring systems and the effective use of technology were the “need of the hour.”
Authorities have urged motorists to obtain electronic tags promptly to avoid delays and penalties at checkpoints as enforcement continues across the capital.
