New Delhi: India on Saturday sharply dismissed remarks by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari over alleged threats and demolitions at historic Muslim religious sites in India, asserting that he had “no locus standi” to comment on matters internal to India and highlighting Pakistan’s long track record of human rights abuses.
In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India “categorically rejects the unwarranted comments made by the President of Pakistan.”
“He has, in any case, no locus standi to comment on matters that are internal to India,” Jaiswal said.
Pakistan’s Minority Record Cited
New Delhi’s response followed hours after Zardari posted on X saying he was “deeply concerned” about what he called demolitions and threats to historic Muslim religious sites in India, including the “1,000-year-old Masjid Ganj Shaheeda in Varanasi”. He called on India to stop such actions, safeguard minority rights, and protect shared cultural heritage, cautioning that these developments could lead to “the disintegration and perennial chaos of India”.
Zardari’s comments were aimed at the Ganj-e-Shaheedan mosque in Varanasi, which has recently emerged as the centre of a dispute after a notice — allegedly issued by Northern Railway — sought the structure’s removal, citing that it occupied railway land.
TThe mosque’s management committee has rejected the notice, arguing the structure was built before the railway line and that the litigation mentioned in the notice does not relate to the mosque itself. Muslim groups describe the mosque as centuries old, while some local accounts claim it is about 1,000 years old—a claim that has not been independently verified.
Remarks Seen As Political Attack
In its rebuttal, New Delhi called the Pakistani president’s comments “particularly absurd given Pakistan’s own abysmal record on human rights, which is a matter of global commentary.”
The MEA spokesperson underscored that Pakistan’s “long history of systematically targeting and victimizing minorities across various faiths is notorious”.
“Given this reality, the President’s remarks can only be read as a deliberate political attack, driven by Pakistan’s national policies of bigotry and hatred,” he said.
India has consistently rejected Pakistani criticism of developments within India as interference in its internal affairs. New Delhi has also countered such criticism by highlighting how religious minorities — including Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Ahmadiyyas — are treated in Pakistan.
