New Delhi (NVI): A day after Pakistan criticised India over foundation laying of Ram temple in Ayodhya, New Delhi today asked Islamabad to “desist from interfering in India’s affairs” and “refrain from communal incitement” while reminding it how it treats its own minorities.
“We have seen the press statement by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on a matter internal to India. It should desist from interfering in India’s affairs and refrain from communal incitement,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said while answering a media query on the matter.
“While this is not a surprising stance from a nation that practices cross border terrorism and denies its own minorities their religious rights, such comments are nevertheless deeply regrettable,” Srivastava added.
The ceremony for construction of Ram temple took place yesterday in Ayodhya with Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing the ‘bhoomi pujan’ of the temple.
Pakistan Foreign Office reacted over the development yesterday, saying that the “flawed judgment” of the Indian Supreme Court was paving way for construction of the temple.
To recall, the Indian Supreme Court in a unanimous verdict last year cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.
Pakistan, which has tried to attack India with its brazen lies earlier too, didn’t refrain from making such remarks yesterday. “The flawed judgment of the Indian Supreme Court paving the way for construction of the temple not only reflected the preponderance of faith over justice but also the growing majoritarianism in today’s India, where minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship, are increasingly under attack,” Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.
However, India had earlier also rejected “unwarranted and gratuitous comments” made by Pakistan over the issue.
PM Modi yesterday laid the foundation stone of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, which marks the formal beginning of the construction of the temple in the holy city.
“A grand temple will now be built for our Ram Lalla who had been staying in a tent. Today, Ram Janmbhoomi breaks free of the cycle of breaking and getting built again – that had been going on for centuries,” PM said while addressing a gathering of 175 distinguished guests in Ayodhya.
-ARK
