ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan on Sunday condemned India’s move to demolish a century-old mosque this week, saying the move reflected another manifestation of “the broader Islamophobic and Hindutva-driven campaign” to erase Islamic heritage from the country.

The century-old mosque located in India’s Saharanpur Collectorate was demolished on Saturday by authorities. The action took place days after a district judge’s court upheld an order declaring the structure illegally built on government land. An appeal by the mosque committee was dismissed by the court, paving the way for the demolition under heavy security.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the demolition of the century-old mosque in Saharanpur, India, on 5 September 2026,” Khan said in a statement.

“This reprehensible action against a historic Islamic place of worship is yet another manifestation of the broader Islamophobic and Hindutva-driven campaign to erase the Islamic heritage.”

Khan urged the international community to take note of what he described as the “systematic persecution of Muslims” by Indian authorities and the continued “desecration and destruction of their places of worship under state patronage.”

“The Indian authorities must be held accountable for such actions against the fundamental religious freedoms and cultural heritage of all minorities, particularly the Muslims,” he added.

India and Pakistan, bitter arch-rivals who were engaged in a brief military confrontation in May last year, frequently accuse each other of denying religious rights to minorities. The treatment of religious minorities has also frequently become a source of diplomatic recrimination between the two countries.

Days earlier, India alleged that a century-old Hindu temple in Pakistan’s Narowal district had been vandalized, urging Islamabad to carry out an investigation and restore it to its original condition.

Pakistan responded that the temple had been damaged due to torrential rains in July, adding that authorities have surveyed the damage and taken steps to restore the building.