India tears into Pakistan after remarks on minorities: ‘Your abysmal record speaks for itself'

India on Monday lashed out at Pakistan's remarks over minorities, stating that its “abysmal record speaks for itself”.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal asserted that Islamabad's systematic persecution of people of various faiths is well-documented and cannot be concealed by attempts to shift blame.

“We reject the reported remarks from a country whose abysmal record on this front speaks for itself. Pakistan's horrific and systemic victimisation of minorities of various faiths is a well-established fact. No amount of finger-pointing will obfuscate it,” Jaiswal said.

The Indian response came after comments from Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi, who called on the international community to pay attention to what he termed as incidents “targeting religious minorities” in India, including “Christmas-related vandalism and attacks on Muslims”, reported ARY News.

The report stated that Andrabi mentioned alleged instances of “Christmas vandalism and state-backed campaigns targeting Muslims, including demolitions of homes and repeated lynching cases”, citing the high-profile case of Muhammad Akhlaq and claiming that authorities had protected those responsible from being held accountable.

Minorities in Pakistan

Pakistan’s record on minority rights has been marked by decades of violence, systemic discrimination and social marginalisation, with religious communities often subjected to mob attacks, communal unrest, restrictive laws and forced conversions, ANI reported.

A Pakistani Hindu girl, who endured three traumatic months after being abducted, forcibly converted and married to a Muslim man, has finally been reunited with her family following a Sindh court order, a community leader stated, as per PTI. A lower court in Umerkot, approximately 310 km east of Karachi, directed that Sunita Kumari Maharaj be returned to her family on 1 November this year, according to Hindu activist Shiva Kaachi, who had assisted her parents in pursuing the case.

The “Ahmadi” community has faced long-standing persecution fueled by both government policies and societal hostility, while Christians have repeatedly been victims of communal violence. A particularly severe incident occurred during the 2009 unrest in Gojra, Punjab, where coordinated attacks on Christian neighbourhoods led to multiple deaths and injuries.

Hindu places of worship have also been targeted during times of communal tension. In 2020, a Hindu temple in Karak district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was attacked and vandalised amid violent clashes, pointing to the ongoing precariousness of minority religious sites.