Shah Mehmood Qureshi writes letter to OIC over Islamophobia in India

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has warned important world capitals and the Organisation Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that they cannot stand by and let another Gujarat happen as the rising wave of state-sanctioned hate crimes and Islamophobia in India has emerged not only as a threat to Indian Muslims but is also a matter of grave concern for the Muslim world at large.

“It is hoped that the international community will take due cognisance and urge India to reverse this course, which is fraught with risks for the safety and security of India’s minorities, particularly Muslims, and for their fundamental rights and freedoms,” wrote Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in letters to the OIC secretary-general and his counterparts in the OIC.

As part of his diplomatic outreach, Shah Mehmood Qureshi has addressed letters to the OIC secretary-general and his counterparts in the OIC and also posted a video on his Twitter account, pointing to the "campaign of Islamophobia", unleashed by India.

Among other things, says his office, the foreign minister has sensitised them towards this hate-mongering as part of the RSS-BJP dispensation’s anti-Muslim and anti-minority agenda, based on the extremist “Hindutva” ideology.

The foreign minister has inter alia apprised about the BJP government’s systematic campaign to demonise Muslims by holding them responsible for the spread of coronavirus.

He has underscored that Indian actions are in contravention of relevant International Conventions and seriously undermine global efforts for religious harmony during these challenging times.

"The world is fighting against coronavirus. What is required is a joint coordinated effort. Unfortunately, what we're seeing is that though this virus respects no borders, it doesn't differentiate between ethnicities or religion, yet in India, they're in the grip of Islamophobia,” he added.

The minister said that hate speech is being practised in India. Muslims are being discriminated against. They are not even being treated properly in hospitals.

"There's a campaign not to buy from their shops and businesses. Their houses were and are being attacked. You saw the discriminatory approach of this Hindutva BJP government. You saw that discriminatory laws were put into place. You saw NRC and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) enforced in India," he added.

Qureshi said it was time for the international community, including the OIC, foreign ministers and the international community, to take notice of this.

“This is a violation of UN Human Rights Council resolutions and it's also a violation of many statements and positions taken by the OIC," he said.

Later the Foreign Office rejected a baseless Indian allegations of “infiltration attempts” and unfounded claims of targeting of “launching pads” across the Line of Control (LoC). It is obvious that the Indian propaganda machine is in over-drive.

Pakistan also rejected the provocative statements of the Indian defence minister, including his recent preposterous claim that “we are dominating the enemy….” There is nothing new about Rajnath Singh’s delusions; nor about his belligerent anti-Pakistan rhetoric.

“Repeated Indian allegations have one primary purpose: To divert world attention from India’s state-terrorism and grave human rights violations in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India also seeks to use these allegations as a pretext for ‘false flag’ operation. Pakistan has been continuously sensitising the international community about such an eventuality and urging India to desist from any ill-considered action,” said a statement from the Foreign Office.

India’s belligerence continues to imperil peace in the region. In 2020 alone, India has committed 882 ceasefire violations and deliberately targeted innocent civilians living close to the LoC in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). At the same time, in the garb of so-called cordon-and-search operations, the Indian occupation forces in IOK have been particularly targeting the Kashmiri youth. In April alone, 29 innocent Kashmiris have been martyred, including seven since the onset of the holy month of Ramazan.

Besides, the harassment and intimidation of Kashmiri journalists has further intensified under the notorious “Unlawful Activities Prevention Act” (UAPA), while the Indian occupation forces continue to operate with complete impunity covered under draconian laws such as PSA and AFSPA.

“On the other hand, continued communications restrictions and lack of unfettered access to medical and other essential supplies are compounding the COVID-19 situation for the Kashmiris in IOK,” said the statement.

In parallel, India has sought to take advantage of the world’s preoccupation with COVID-19 to further push its ‘Hindutva’ agenda in IOK. The changes in the domicile rules represent another opportunistic move by the RSS-BJP dispensation to advance their sinister aim of effecting a demographic change in the occupied territory.

Pakistan and the Kashmiris have firmly rejected these Indian machinations in the past and will continue to do so in the future. “As regards the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, Pakistan will continue to extend its full moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people till the realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the UNSC resolutions,” reiterated the Foreign Office.