KEY POINTS
- Pakistan termed the Ayodhya flag-hoisting as “an affront to Indian Muslims,” raising concerns about minority rights.
- Pakistani Senator Sherry Rehman called the event a “dark turn for minority rights in India.”
- Other politicians and civil society figures highlighted the risks of rising Hindu nationalism.
ISLAMABAD: The completion and flag-hoisting ceremony of the Ram Temple at the historic Babri Mosque site in Ayodhya has drawn strong reactions in Pakistan, with officials, politicians, and civil society leaders voicing alarm over its implications for minority rights in India.
The Pakistan Foreign Office described the ceremony as “an affront to Indian Muslims,” warning that it could encourage further erosion of minority rights across the region.
The Foreign Office emphasised the importance of safeguarding religious minorities and expressed concern that such events might normalise exclusionary politics in South Asia. A sentiment which described the ceremony as “indicative of growing majoritarianism in India,” it added.
Pakistani Senator Sherry Rehman, leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), condemned the Ayodhya spectacle, calling it a “dark turn for minority rights in India” and warning that it symbolised the triumph of majoritarian politics over secular governance.
Other Pakistani political figures echoed similar concerns. Federal Minister for Human Rights Riaz Hussain noted that the ceremony highlighted the continuing vulnerability of religious minorities in India and stressed the need for international monitoring.
Mushaal Hussein Mullick, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Human Rights, criticised the inauguration as a “political gimmick” and urged the Muslim world to respond.
Prominent civil society leaders and academics in Pakistan described the Ayodhya event as a reminder of the dangers posed by religious nationalism, urging India to uphold constitutional guarantees for minorities and maintain interfaith harmony.
The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) warned that the temple’s portrayal as a “divine” project is part of a deliberate political narrative by the BJP, an assertion of ideological dominance.
Analyst Yasir Pirzada, writing for Jang, cautioned that the Ayodhya inauguration could herald worse conditions for Muslims in India, describing it as a symbol of a “more dangerous Hindu nationalist future”.
Observers noted that the ceremony comes amid growing scrutiny of India’s treatment of Muslims, particularly in the context of policies like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which are viewed as disproportionately affecting Muslim communities.
The Ayodhya event, they argued, could further marginalise minority groups and heighten communal tensions.
