India on Monday rejected remarks by Pakistan’s foreign ministry on the condition of minorities in the country.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan’s "horrific and systemic victimisation" of minorities across faiths is a well-established fact, and that no amount of "finger pointing" would "obfuscate" the issue.
Rejecting the comments, New Delhi said Islamabad’s abysmal record on the treatment of minorities “speaks for itself”.
“We reject the reported remarks from a country whose abysmal record on this front speaks for itself. Pakistan’s horrific and systemic victimisation of minorities of various faiths is a well-established fact. No amount of finger-pointing will obfuscate it,” Jaiswal said.
He was responding to media queries on comments made by Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi.
Earlier on Monday, Andrabi said the “persecution of minorities in India is a matter of deep concern”, when asked about vandalism reported during Christmas celebrations in some parts of the country. He referred to what he described as “recent condemnable incidents” during Christmas, as well as alleged campaigns targeting Muslims.
Andrabi also called on the international community to take note of incidents “targeting religious minorities” in India, including “Christmas-related vandalism and attacks on Muslims”, and to take steps to protect the fundamental rights of vulnerable groups.
In November, Pakistan had raised objections to the participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Ram Temple.
Those remarks were also rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs, which described them as politically motivated and unacceptable.
“We have seen the reported remarks and reject them with the contempt they deserve. As a country with a deeply stained record of bigotry, repression, and systemic mistreatment of its minorities, Pakistan has no moral standing to lecture others,” Jaiswal had said at the time.