ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has expressed serious concern over the widely reported open calls by Hindutva proponents for carrying out genocide of Indian Muslims.

“Today, the Indian chargé d’affaires was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad, and asked to convey the government of Pakistan’s serious concerns to the government of India over the widely reported open calls by Hindutva proponents for carrying out genocide of Indian Muslims,” said a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Monday.

According to the FO, these violent hate speeches were made during the “Dharma Sansad” held at Haridwar, Uttarakhand, on December 17-20.

Chargé d’affaires summoned to convey Islamabad’s serious concerns to New Delhi

“It was impressed upon the government of India that it was highly reprehensible that the Hindu Raksha Sena’s Prabodhanand Giri and other Hindutva figures who called for ethnic cleansing have neither expressed any regret nor the Indian government has condemned or taken any action against them so far,” the FO deplored.

The statement said it was conveyed to the Indian side that the reported hate speeches had been viewed with grave concern by civil society and cross-section of the people of Pakistan and around the world. Regrettably, the toxic narrative against minorities, particularly Muslims, and their persecution understate patronage had become a norm under the current Hindutva-driven BJP-RSS combine government in India, it added.

It was reminded to the Indian side that such incitement to violence by Hindutva figures, including ruling party’s elected members, also preceded the anti-Muslim riots in New Delhi in February 2020.

The FO said the continued grave violations of human rights of minorities, especially Muslims, and their places of worship, anti-Muslim legislation by the Union Government of India and several BJP-ruled states, and continued incidents of violence against Muslims on flimsy pretexts by Hindutva groups with complete impunity and often under state patronage highlighted the worsening trend of Islamophobia and present a grim picture about the fate of Muslims in India.

“Pakistan calls on the international community, including the United Nations, OIC and relevant human rights organisations, to hold India accountable for its gross and systematic human rights violations against minorities, particularly Muslims, and take immediate measures to save them from impending genocide,” the FO statement said, adding that India is expected to investigate these hate speeches and incidents of widespread violence against minorities, particularly Muslims, and their houses of worship and take measures to stop such incidents from recurring in future.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2021