‘Look at your own abysmal record’: India slams Pakistan over ‘motivated and baseless’ remark on Waqf law

India on Tuesday slammed Pakistan over its ‘motivated and baseless’ remarks on the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, and said that the country should look at its own abysmal record when it comes to protecting minorities.

Last week, commenting on the Waqf Amendment Act, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan condemned the changes in India's Waqf laws, calling them an “infringement over the religious and economic rights of Indian Muslims”.

“The passage of this discriminatory legislation is also reflective of the growing majoritarianism in India. There are serious apprehensions that it will contribute to further marginalization of Indian Muslims,” said Shafqat Ali Khan, while responding to a query during his weekly press briefing.

Reacting to Pakistan's remark, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian government strongly rejects Pakistan's "motivated and baseless" comments on the Waqf Amendment Act.

“Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on matter that is internal to India. Pakistan would do better to look at its own abysmal record when it comes to protecting minorities' rights, instead of preaching to others,” said the MEA in a statement.

The Waqf Bill, passed by the Parliament, received the assent of the President on April 5.

The ruling NDA has strongly defended the legislation as beneficial for minorities, while the Opposition has described it as "anti-Muslim".

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will hear pleas on Wednesday, including of AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, which challenge the constitutional validity of several provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Congress MPs Imran Pratapgarhi and Mohammad Jawed are other key petitioners.

On Tuesday, slamming the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that if the party really has sympathy for Muslims, it should appoint a Muslim as its president and give 50 per cent of tickets to people from the community.

"From Independence till 2013, there was a Waqf law. But to win elections, and in pursuing a politics of appeasement and vote bank, the Congress made amendments to the Waqf law hurriedly late in 2013 so that it can get votes in elections (a few months later in 2014)," said Modi.

Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, also said that the amendments to the Waqf Act were not targeted at the Muslim community and instead were meant to correct "past mistakes".

The intention of the government was to ensure that in India there was no provision for anybody to "forcefully and unilaterally" take away someone's land, said Rijiju.