NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday dismissed Pakistan’s allegations of attacks on minorities in India. The MEA called it a “finger-pointing” act and said the neighboring country itself has a “disastrous record” on this front.“We reject the reported statements of a country whose abysmal record on this front speaks for itself. Pakistan’s horrific and systematic victimization of minorities of various faiths is a well-known fact. No amount of blame-shifting will be able to obscure this,” MEA said in a statement.The reaction came as Pakistan’s foreign affairs spokesperson Tahir Andrabi called on the international community to take note of recent incidents “against religious minorities” in India, including “Christmas-related vandalism and attacks on Muslims”, and take steps to protect the fundamental rights of vulnerable groups, ARY News reported.Last month, Pakistan had objected to the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Ram Temple attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. MEA had termed the comments as politically motivated and unacceptable and claimed that Pakistan had no authority to comment on India’s internal affairs.“We have seen the reported statements and reject them with the contempt they deserve. As a country with a deeply tainted record of bigotry, oppression and systematic mistreatment of its minorities, Pakistan has no moral justification to lecture others. Instead of preaching hypocritical sermons, Pakistan would do better to turn its gaze inward and focus on its own abysmal human rights record,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.
