Pakistan slams India as ‘world’s biggest Islamophobic state’ at UNGA event
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has slammed India for failing to condemn rising anti-Muslim hatred and urged New Delhi to punish those involved in “abominable acts” such as the lynching of Muslims and the destruction of mosques.
The remarks came during a high-level event at the United Nations General Assembly commemorating the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
“The fact remains that India has the distinction of being the world’s biggest Islamophobic state, which has turned against its own minorities including Muslims, Christians and others,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, told the General Assembly.
The high-level event was convened by the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Mission to the UN in New York.
Among those who addressed the gathering were UN Secretary General António Guterres, UNGA President Annalena Baerbock, Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy on Combatting Islamophobia Miguel Ángel Moratinos, OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha and Türkiye’s Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz.
Earlier, India’s Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish delivered a general statement condemning violence in the name of religion, without specifically referring to Islam. He accused Pakistan of mistreating its minorities and fabricating narratives of Islamophobia, as well as weaponising the OIC against India.
Responding to the remarks, Ambassador Ahmad said India found it difficult to hide its “guilt and culpability” when it came to Islamophobia and criticised New Delhi for disrespecting the OIC.
“It was expected that India would join us today in condemning Islamophobia and would also brief the participants about the steps it will take to alleviate the plight of millions of Muslims and other religious minorities suffering from the hate-filled extremist Hindutva ideology in its country,” Ahmad said.
“India, however, chose to deflect this question and tried to politicise today’s debate,” he added. “This is a disservice to the victims of Islamophobia and undermines efforts being taken by responsible states of the world to combat this hate-spewing ideology.”
“What stands India apart is that Islamophobia in India is not perpetrated by some fringe elements but under the direct patronage of the Indian state and government,” the Pakistani envoy said.
Referring to the OIC’s Report on Islamophobia, Ahmad said India represented the most significant concentration of Islamophobic incidents globally.
He cited recent restrictions on Friday prayers in Srinagar during the holy month of Ramazan, noting that Muslims in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir were barred from offering prayers for the seventh consecutive year.
“Public lynching of Muslims and state-sponsored destruction of centuries-old mosques to be illegally replaced by Hindu temples are but a few examples of Islamophobia in India, so well known to the world,” he told delegates.
“While Muslims constitute the largest minority group suffering from hate crimes, other religious minorities are not spared either,” he added.
Ahmad urged the Indian government to distance itself from Islamophobic incidents and punish those responsible for such acts. APP
