ISLAMABAD, APR 20 (DNA) – Responding to media query on remarks made by the Official Spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 19 April 2020 relating to comments of Pakistani leadership, the Spokesperson said:

We reject the Indian MEA Spokesperson’s irresponsible and completely ill-founded remarks, which are reflective of India’s perennial state of denial with regard to the rights of minorities, particularly Muslims, in India. The treatment of minorities in India is a matter of serious concern not only for the Indian minorities and the neighbouring countries but also for the international community.

It is deeply disconcerting that the discriminatory and anti-Muslim policies and practices of the RSS-inspired BJP Government persist even as the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds. A systematic campaign remains underway to demonize Muslims, who face further exclusion as well as increasing threat of mob violence. These instances have been extensively documented in the Indian and international media and people of conscience worldwide are raising their voices.

India would be well-advised to heed the calls of its own minorities and civil society, its neighbours, and the international community and take effective steps to protect the fundamental rights of minorities in India.