ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday condemned the consecration of a grand temple to the Hindu god Lord Ram on a site believed to be his birthplace but where a 16th century mosque was demolished in 1992 in the Indian city of Ayodhya.
The temple delivers on a key 35-year-old promise by Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but it has been a contentious political issue that helped catapult the party to prominence and power.
For decades, the temple site was bitterly contested by Hindus and minority Muslims, leading to nationwide riots in 1992 that killed 2,000 people, mainly Muslims, after a Hindu mob destroyed a 16th-century mosque that had stood there.
India’s Hindus say the site is the birthplace of Lord Ram, and was holy to them long before Muslim Mughals razed a temple at the spot to build the Babri Masjid in 1528.
In 2019, the Supreme Court handed over the land to Hindus and ordered allotment of a separate plot to Muslims where construction of a new mosque is yet to begin.
“The developments of the last 31 years, leading to today’s consecration ceremony, are indicative of growing majoritarianism in India,” the Pakistani foreign office said, condemning Monday’s consecration. “These constitute an important facet of the ongoing efforts for social, economic and political marginalization of the Indian Muslims.”
A temple built on the site of a demolished mosque will remain “a blot on the face of India’s democracy for the times to come,” the statement added.
“Notably, there is a growing list of mosques, including the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Eidgah Mosque in Mathura, facing a similar threat of desecration and destruction,” the foreign office said. “The international community should take cognizance of the growing Islamophobia, hate speech and hate crimes in India.”
Nearly 8,000 people were invited to Monday’s ceremony, while more than 10,000 police personnel guarded the city of 3 million.
Security was also stepped up nationwide, especially in cities and towns that have suffered past Hindu-Muslim tension and strife.
The temple opens to the public on Tuesday and its management expects 100,000 visitors each day for the next few months.
