Daily Times

Rejecting Indian government’s mischievous portrayal of isolated law and order incidents in Peshawar and Nankana Sahib as alleged ‘persecution’ of minorities, Pakistan on Monday said it attaches the highest respect and sanctity to all places of worship, including those belonging to the Sikh religion.

“The BJP government’s mischievous portrayal of isolated law and order incidents in Peshawar and Nankana Sahib as alleged ‘persecution’ of minorities is part of its smear campaign against Pakistan and a desperate attempt to divert attention from the ongoing state terrorism in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) and systematic discrimination against minorities in India,” a Foreign Office statement issued here said. “Pakistan completely rejects these fabrications, which will, in no way, shield the BJP government from opprobrium by the international community on its illegal actions in IHK and the adverse fallout of the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC),” it added.

“Pakistan attaches the highest respect and sanctity to all places of worship, including those belonging to Sikh religion. We categorically reject Indian allegations regarding any ‘attack’ and ‘desecration’ at the holy Gurdwara Nankana Sahib,” the statement said. “These blatant lies are yet another illustration of the quintessential RSS-BJP propaganda drive, which will fail. The Sikh community, the world over, is aware of the importance that the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan attaches to the minorities and their places of worship,” it added.

Islamabad says it attaches highest respect and sanctity to all places of worship, including those belonging to Sikh religion

According to the statement, the historic opening of the Kartarpur Corridor on November 9, 2019, is a clear manifestation of the Prime Minister’s vision in this regard. “Indian attempts to politicise the tragic killing of a Pakistani Sikh youth are also mischievous and reprehensible. As this crime was reported, a case was registered immediately and a high-powered committee constituted to investigate the matter. The law will take its course and those responsible will be brought to justice,” the statement said.

“Pakistan is a diverse country where people from different faiths, including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, live together. The constitution of Pakistan guarantees equal rights to all its citizens and the government takes this obligation seriously with zero tolerance against any discrimination,” the Foreign Office statement said. It pointed out that the RSS-inspired BJP government has absolutely no credentials even to pretend that it is a protector of minorities. “Those who are responsible for the desecration and demolition of the Babri Mosque, massive killings of thousands of Muslims in Gujarat, frequent incidents of mob lynching, and repeated hate crimes against minorities, simply have no feet to stand on,” it added. “Rather than feigning any dishonest concern for minorities elsewhere, the BJP government will do better by focusing on the ongoing human tragedy at home and protecting India’s minorities from ‘Saffron terror’,” the statement concluded.