World must protect Muslim sites in India: Pakistan

Pakistan has urged the world community, the United Nations and other organizations to play their role in preserving Islamic heritage sites in India from the extremist ‘Hindutva’ government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and to ensure protection of minorities in the neighbouring country

The call was made in a statement that the foreign office issued on Sunday at the 28th anniversary of the 1992 demolition of the historic Babari Masjid in Ayodhya city of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

On December 6, 1992 thousands of Hindu zealots razed to the ground the 16th century historic mosque. However, recently a trial court acquitted all prominent BJP leaders from the case and ruled that demolition of the mosque was not pre-planned.

According to the foreign office, there was compelling evidence with hundreds of eyewitness accounts that proved beyond doubt that the mosque demolition was pre-planned. Adding insult to injury, the Indian Supreme Court also allowed the construction of Hindu Temple at the site of the Babari Masjid.

"Today is a sad reminder of the demolition of the historic Babri Masjid in India.

“On this day, 28 years ago, Hindu zealots of the RSS-inspired BJP, backed by the state apparatus, demolished the centuries-old Mosque in Ayodhya in an abominable act of anti-Muslim frenzy and blatant violation of religious and international norms," read the foreign office statement.

The statement said the painful scenes of the demolition of the mosque still remain fresh in the minds of not only Muslims but all conscientious people in the world.

"The new illegitimate structure, which the Hindutva-driven BJP has campaigned for and is bent upon constructing as part of its agenda of converting India into a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, is a scar on the face of so-called ‘largest democracy’ in the world."

It said the flawed judgment of the Indian Supreme Court in the Babri Masjid case in November 2019 not only reflected the preponderance of faith over justice but also the growing majoritarianism in today’s India, where minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship, are increasingly under attack.

"The recent shameful acquittal of the criminals responsible for demolishing the historic Babri mosque in 1992 represented another egregious travesty of justice," the statement added.

It also noted that the extreme haste in starting construction of a temple at the mosque site – amidst the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic, anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the looming National Register of Citizens (NRC) to disenfranchise Muslims, the targeted killings of Muslims in Delhi with state complicity in February 2020, and other anti-Muslim measures – shows how Muslims in India are being systematically demonized, dispossessed, marginalized and subjected to targeted violence.

The foreign office said the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – an inter-governmental organization representing 57 Muslim states – has passed numerous resolutions, condemning the odious act of demolishing the historic mosque.

Recently, at the 47th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held at Niamey, the OIC called upon the Indian government to take immediate steps to implement its commitment to reconstruct the Babri Mosque on its original site.

It also urged India to punish those responsible for the mosque’s demolition, to prevent the construction of a temple on its site, take immediate steps to ensure the protection of the other 3,000 historic mosques, and ensure the safety and protection of the Muslims and their holy sites throughout India.

“In line with that spirit, Pakistan once again urges the Indian government to ensure safety, security and protection of minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship.

“[It also calls upon New Delhi to] fulfill its responsibilities under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments including the recommendations of the OIC,” the statement said.