Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has written letters to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General and his counterparts in the 57-member body to draw their attention towards the rising wave of state-sanctioned hate crimes and Islamophobia in India.
“Among other things, the foreign minister has sensitised them towards this hate-mongering as part of the RSS-BJP dispensation’s anti-Muslim and anti-minority agenda, based on the extremist ‘Hindutva’ ideology,” a statement issued by the Foreign Office said on Tuesday. “The rising wave of state-sanctioned hate crimes and Islamophobia in India has emerged not only as a threat to Indian Muslims but is also a matter of grave concern for the Muslim world at large,” Qureshi was quoted as saying by the FO.
The foreign minister, according to the communiqué, has inter alia apprised about the Modi government’s systematic campaign to demonise Muslims by holding them responsible for the spread of coronavirus. He underscored that Indian actions are in contravention of relevant international conventions and seriously undermine global efforts for religious harmony during these challenging times. “It is hoped that the international community will take due cognisance and urge India to reverse this course, which is fraught with risks for the safety and security of India’s minorities, particularly Muslims, and for their fundamental rights and freedoms,” it added.
Foreign Minister Qureshi said that the OIC and others ‘cannot stand by and let another Gujarat happen’ – referring to the 2002 massacre in India – and asked the body to stop the attack on Muslims under the Narendra Modi-led government. “The world is fighting against coronavirus. What is required is a joint coordinated effort. Unfortunately, what we’re seeing is that though this virus respects no borders, it doesn’t differentiate between ethnicities or religion – yet in India […] they’re in the grip of Islamophobia.” “Hate speech is being practised in India. Muslims are being discriminated against. They are not even being treated properly in hospitals,” said Qureshi. “There’s a campaign not to buy from their shops and businesses. Their houses were and are being attacked. You [the international community and OIC) saw the discriminatory approach of this Hindutva BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government. You saw that discriminatory laws were put into place. You saw NRC and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) enforced in India,” he stated, and urged the international community to ‘speak up’, as many in the Muslim world and the Gulf countries already have, arguing that the ‘time has now come to take notice to stop this attack on Muslims in India’. “The OIC, foreign ministers and the international community must take notice of this. This is a violation of UN Human Rights Council resolutions and it’s also a violation of many statements and positions taken by OIC,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has categorically rejected baseless Indian allegations of ‘infiltration attempts’ and unfounded claims of targeting of ‘launching pads’ across the Line of Control (LoC). “It is obvious that the Indian propaganda machine is in over-drive. Pakistan also rejects the provocative statements of the Indian Defence Minister, including his recent preposterous claim that ‘we are dominating the enemy….’ There is nothing new about Rajnath Singh’s delusions; nor about his belligerent anti-Pakistan rhetoric,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“Repeated Indian allegations have one primary purpose: To divert world attention from India’s state-terrorism and grave human rights violations in Indian-held Kashmir. India also seeks to use these allegations as a pretext for “false flag” operation. Pakistan has been continuously sensitizing the international community about such an eventuality and urging India to desist from any ill-considered action,” it said. “India’s belligerence continues to imperil peace in the region. In 2020 alone, India has committed 882 ceasefire violations and deliberately targeted innocent civilians living close to the LoC in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
At the same time, in the garb of so-called cordon-and-search operations, the Indian occupation forces have been particularly targeting the Kashmiri youth. In April alone, 29 innocent Kashmiris have been martyred, including 7 since the onset of the holy month of Ramazan. Besides, the harassment and intimidation of Kashmiri journalists has further intensified under the notorious ‘Unlawful Activities Prevention Act’ (UAPA), while the Indian occupation forces continue to operate with complete impunity covered under draconian laws such as PSA and AFSPA,” it said.
“On the other hand, continued communications restrictions and lack of unfettered access to medical and other essential supplies are compounding the Covid-19 situation for the Kashmiris in the occupied valley. In parallel, India has sought to take advantage of the world’s preoccupation with COVID-19 to further push its ‘Hindutva’ agenda in Kashmir. The changes in the domicile rules represent another opportunistic move by the RSS-BJP dispensation to advance their sinister aim of effecting a demographic change in the occupied territory,” it said. “Pakistan and the Kashmiris have firmly rejected these Indian machinations in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Our immediate and effective response to India’s Balakot misadventure clearly demonstrated Pakistan’s will, capacity and preparedness. India should not underestimate the resolve of the people and the armed forces of Pakistan to thwart any aggressive design,” it said. “As regards the Jammu & Kashmir dispute, Pakistan will continue to extend its full moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people till the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the UNSC resolutions,” it concluded.
