Pakistan on Monday summoned India’s Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad to convey its serious concerns over the call for genocide against Muslims at a Dharma Sansad in Haridwar earlier this month.
According to a statement issued by the Pakistan foreign office, “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”.
Further, Pakistan conveyed to the Indian diplomat that the reported hate speeches had been viewed with grave concern by civil society and cross-sections of the people of Pakistan and around the world.
Pakistan has also called on the international community, including the United Nations, the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation and relevant human rights outfits 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”.
India had not responded to Pakistan summoning the Charge d’Affaires till late in the evening. This is not the first time Pakistan has commented on the issue of minorities in India. New Delhi’s response usually is to remind Pakistan of its own track record vis-à-vis minorities.
