Pakistan condemns ‘unjust demolition’ of ancient mosque in India's Haryana

Published
87
The Foreign Office urged the international community to "hold India accountable for systemic and blatant human rights violations of minorities, particularly Muslims". — AFP/File
The Foreign Office urged the international community to "hold India accountable for systemic and blatant human rights violations of minorities, particularly Muslims". — AFP/File

Pakistan on Tuesday condemned the "unjust demolition" of an ancient mosque in India's Haryana state, terming it another attack on the human rights of India's Muslim minority.

The Foreign Office statement came after Indian authorities, according to reports, demolished the large Bilal Mosque in Faridabad, Haryana, which is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Pakistan strongly condemns the unjust demolition of ancient Bilal Mosque in BJP-ruled Haryana by Indian authorities in consort with pliant judiciary under BJP-RSS regime," FO spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said.

The statement called the "Hindutva-driven BJP-RSS combine's perpetual targeting of Muslims and their places of worship" an "indelible blot on the so-called 'largest democracy'".

It recalled that the Indian Supreme Court in a controversial judgement in November 2019 had allowed the "extremist Hindu parties" to construct Ram Mandir at the site of the historic Babri Masjid, which was demolished by Hindu extremists in 1992.

Read: From the rubble of Ayodhya

"The Indian judiciary was also culpable in acquitting the criminals who had organised the destruction of the Babri Masjid in public glare," it added.

The FO further said that Muslims and their places of worship were attacked "with state complicity" during anti-Muslim pogroms in Gujarat in 2002 and in Delhi in February 2020, without there being any judicial accountability.

The targeting of Muslims and their religious sites and cultural heritage "continues unabated" in Indian-occupied Kashmir and in India, it added.

The FO urged the international community, United Nations, OIC and relevant human rights organisations to "hold India accountable for systemic and blatant human rights violations of minorities, particularly Muslims".

"We call upon India to ensure safety, security and well-being of its minorities, including Muslims and their places of worship and cultural sites," it said.

Opinion

Editorial

Muddled hierarchy
Updated 15 Nov, 2026

Muddled hierarchy

The jurisdiction of the two courts and a mechanism for settling disputes between them should be spelt out in law, not left to judges to fight over.
Growing crisis
15 Nov, 2026

Growing crisis

AN emergency can be judged by the speed with which it draws an effective response. The National Population Council’s...
Organised rackets
15 Nov, 2026

Organised rackets

ON the International Day against Transnational Organised Crime, observed today, Pakistan finds itself in a tight...
Referendum talk
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Referendum talk

Unless the PPP is deliberately using Sindh as a bargaining chip, it should issue a clarification with a clear, consistent position on new administrative units, not one tailored to protect its home turf.
Mineral wealth
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Mineral wealth

Minerals should not be presented as a solution to Pakistan’s long-term economic difficulties. The aim should be to build an industrial base rather than export raw materials.
Late diagnosis
14 Nov, 2026

Late diagnosis

AS we mark World Diabetes Day today, Pakistan faces a troubling question: how many people are living with diabetes...