India on Saturday strongly rejected comments made by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on the alleged demolition of Muslim historical sites in the country, saying that he has no locus standi to comment on India’s internal matters.
The ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement that the comments made by Zardari were “particularly absurd given Pakistan’s own abysmal record on human rights”.
“India categorically rejects the unwarranted comments made by the President of Pakistan. He has, in any case, no locus standi to comment on matters that are internal to India. These comments are particularly absurd given Pakistan’s own abysmal record on human rights, which is a matter of global commentary. Pakistan’s long history of systematically targeting and victimising minorities across various faiths is notorious,” Jaiswal said in the statement.
“Given this reality, the President’s remarks can only be read as a deliberate political attack, driven by Pakistan’s national policies of bigotry and hatred,” he added.
What Asif Ali Zardari said
Asif Ali Zardari’s remarks came after the Indian Railways issued a notice to occupants of the Ganj Shaheeda mosque, located near the main entrance of Kashi railway station, asking them to vacate the premises by June 20.
“President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep concern over the demolitions and threats to historic Muslim religious sites in India, including the 1,000-year-old Masjid Ganj Shaheeda in Varanasi. He asked India to immediately stop such actions, warning that they risk leading to the disintegration and perennial chaos of India. He called for an immediate halt to such actions and urged the protection of minority rights and shared cultural heritage,” the statement from the Pakistan President’s office read.
The notice forms part of the process to remove encroachments from railway land for expansion and proposed construction works under the Kashi railway station redevelopment project.
The development follows a similar action on June 3, when the Azgaib Shaheed Mazar and a mosque situated within the railway station premises were demolished amid heavy security deployment following a court order in a land ownership dispute.
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