ISLAMABAD: Pakistan rejected the “mischievous spin” given by India to an incident, involving photos taken by a female model at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, and emphasised that New Delhi has no locus standi to even feign concern for minorities elsewhere given its systematic marginalisation of minorities at home.
According to a statement of the Foreign Office on Thursday, a senior diplomat from the Indian High Commission was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conveyed Pakistan’s categorical rejection of the “mischievous spin” given by India to an isolated incident involving an individual at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.
“It was conveyed to the Indian diplomat that the incident was swiftly addressed and clarified. The government of Pakistan accords highest primacy to the rights of the minorities. Sanctity of religious places and revered sites of every community is ensured in Pakistan,” it stated.
The Indian diplomat was instead told to urge the government of India to investigate the incidents of gross and systematic persecution of minorities in India which continue with impunity and state complicity. “Given its systematic marginalisation and brutalisation of minorities, India has no locus standi to even feign concern for minorities elsewhere,” the Indian diplomat was further told, according to the statement.
It further stated that Indian authorities must focus on ensuring effective protection of their own minorities and places of worship from repeated instances of desecration, hate crimes and mob lynching.
The summoning of the Indian diplomat comes following New Delhi summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires Aftab Hasan Khan to convey “deep concern at the incident of desecration of the sanctity” of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.
Indian media quoted the Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi to have stated that Pakistan’s charge d’affaires was summoned and told that the “reprehensible act deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community in India and worldwide.”
“Such continued incidents of desecration and disrespect of places of religious worship of the minority communities in Pakistan highlight the lack of respect for the faith of these communities,” the Indian EAM spokesperson was further quoted as saying.
Earlier this week, a clothing brand came under fire after an alleged photo shoot at the Kartarpur Corridor after an Indian Sikh journalist shared the photographs of bareheaded female model for ladies’ attire on the Twitter, saying, “it hurts the religious sentiments of Sikhs.”
Later, the clothing brand also apologised “to every single person who was offended by this.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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