ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday rejected assertions made by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding a Hindu temple in Narowal city, in central Punjab province, as false and politically motivated.
Responding to media queries, Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said that, unlike the false propaganda being peddled by India, the structure of the over-a-century-old temple in Siraj village was damaged on 21st July this year due to torrential rains.
“The local authorities have already surveyed the rain damage and initiated steps for the restoration of the building,” the spokesperson said.
“It is, therefore, shameful that India is distorting facts and resorting to cheap gimmicks,” he added.
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Statement by the Spokesperson
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— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) September 4, 2026
The spokesperson said such deliberate distortion of facts cannot distract attention from India’s abysmal record of systematic persecution of minorities and state-sponsored attacks against their places of worship.
Weaponisation of Hindutva ideology against minorities
“The world is well aware of the weaponisation of Hindutva ideology against minorities, and must hold the Indian leadership accountable for the persecution of Muslim, Sikh and Christian communities,” the FO spokesperson concluded.
The United Nations and human rights organisations have said that abuse against minorities has risen in India in recent years.
They have highlighted concerns over increasing hate speech, a religion-based citizenship law, the demolition of properties owned by Muslims, the removal of autonomy from Muslim-majority Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), and anti-conversion legislation that raises questions over freedom of belief.
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The Foreign Office’s response comes amid a broader Hindutva campaign targeting medieval mosques and Islamic-era monuments across India, with campaigners alleging that some were built over Hindu temples.
Such claims have gained momentum since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014.
In May this year, Indian authorities imposed a ban on the slaughter of cows, calves and camels ahead of Eid ul Adha.
