Pakistan expresses concern over rise in Islamophobic incidents across India

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has expressed grave concern over the alarming rise in Islamophobic incidents across India, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said on Saturday.

“Pakistan calls upon the Government of India to uphold the rights and safety of all its citizens, regardless of faith,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) spokesperson said in response to media queries about an increase in Islamophobic incidents across India.

“The targeting of Muslims through hate speech, discriminatory actions, and state complicity is a matter of serious concern for the international community,” the spokesperson said.

Since the April 22 Pahalgam attack, at least 184 anti-Muslim hate incidents have been recorded countrywide in India, as per Association for Protection of Civil Rights, a New-Delhi-based organisation.

Highlighting the hate speech and discriminatory actions against Muslims, spokesperson Khan said at a time when restraint and reconciliation are most needed, the deliberate incitement of religious hatred for political or ideological purposes violates international human rights obligations and vitiates the prospects for communal harmony, and regional stability.