Pakistan vehemently denounced on Monday the dedication of the “Ram Temple” on the location of the former Babri Mosque, which was destroyed in December 1992 by a Hindu fanatic mob. The mosque was built centuries ago.
The declaration from Islamabad coincides with the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, which is headed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The temple is considered by Hindus to be the birthplace of their god-king “Ram”.
Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), which has long pushed for the construction of a temple in lieu of the 16th-century mosque that the Mughals erected in 1528, made the temple a major electoral pledge.
Hindus and Muslims of minority groups had long-standing disputes over the temple site, which culminated in nationwide rioting in 1992 that claimed 2,000 lives, mostly of Muslims.
The land was given to the Hindus by the Supreme Court in 2019, and Muslims were given a separate plot on which to build a new mosque.
The Foreign Office (FO) expressed dismay over the fact that India’s higher judiciary not only cleared the criminals behind the mosque’s demolition but also approved the building of a temple on the site of the destroyed mosque. The FO claimed that today’s consecration ceremony “is indicative of growing majoritarianism in India”.
“These constitute an important facet of the ongoing efforts for social, economic and political marginalisation of the Indian Muslims,” added the statement.
“A temple built on the site of a demolished mosque will remain a blot on the face of India’s democracy for the times to come,” The FO stated, adding that there was a threat of vandalism and damage to a number of other mosques, such as the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Eidgag Mosque in Mathura.
Concerned about the increasing “Hindutva” ideology endangering religious harmony and regional peace, the statement also quoted chief ministers from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, India, who described the opening of the Ram Temple as “the first step towards reclaiming parts of Pakistan.”
Islamabad has asked the international world to take notice of the rising instances of Islamophobia, hate speech, and hate crimes in India, and has called on New Delhi to guarantee the safety and security of religious minorities, particularly Muslims and their sacred sites.In addition, Pakistan has called on the UN and other organizations to do their share in defending India’s Islamic heritage sites against extremist organizations and guaranteeing the preservation of minorities’ rights to practice their religion and culture.
