ISLAMABAD, March 23: The Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy has condemned the ongoing communal violence in India under the state-sponsored programme.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, the Forum’s Islamabad chapter said the Gujarat carnage was a tragic reminder of the frailty of inter-faith relations in India.

The Forum called upon the governments of India and Pakistan to rein in the bigotary and obscurantist elements, who are fanning hatred and religious extremism.

The security forces, the Forum said, failed to provide adequate protection to the law-abiding people, specially the Muslim minority community in Gujarat.

It added that the tragedy had led to a series of reprisals on Muslims’ lives and caused the loss of property worth millions of dollars.

“Fundamentalists, be they Hindus or Muslims, are a minority everywhere. Yet the disruptive power of their ideas cannot be underestimated. They need to be dealt with firmly and decisively at every level,” the statement said.

“If the BJP government fails to rein in the militant factions and to provide a sense of security to its minorities, the circle of inter communal hostility can spread throughout India and surely have grave consequences for the entire south Asian region,” the statement further said.

The forum, however, deplored the failure of the BJP government to put a stop to the violence and exploitation of religion by paying lip-service to secularism.

“It must take concrete steps to control the violence and any further escalation that may endanger the lives of the minorities.”

The forum also condemned the recent outrageous attack in an Islamabad church as well as killings of Shia doctors in Karachi.

“We stand in solidarity with our friends and fellow peace activists across the border who are also struggling against the erosion of Indian secularism,” the statement concluded.