ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected comments by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs about a religious community, calling them “cynical and diversionary” and an attempt to deflect attention from India’s own record of discrimination and violence against Muslims, Christians, and other marginalised communities.
Spokesperson of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tahir Andrabi said, “Pakistan rejects India’s remarks as cynical and diversionary—an exercise in deflection masquerading as concern.”
The spokesperson said that India’s comments cannot mask its own record of the steady normalisation of discrimination and violence against Muslims, Christians, and other marginalised communities—from curbs on worship to mob vigilantism and the targeting of homes and livelihoods.
“These patterns are well documented,” the spokesperson said about violence against religious minorities in India.
The spokesperson said that the escalating wave of mob lynchings targeting Muslims is deeply abhorrent and underscores a climate of unchecked brutality.
“In 2025, more than 55 Muslims were reportedly lynched in India, and since January 2026, over 19 Muslims have been killed by violent mobs,” the spokesperson said.
He maintained that extremist groups have unlawfully sought the destruction of 11 mosques in India.
“Perpetrators of crimes against Muslims often act with impunity, enabled by state patronage, and are seldom held to account,” the spokesperson said.
Pakistan urged India to address these serious and well-documented concerns within its own borders, ensure the protection of Muslim, Christians and other communities in accordance with its constitutional and international obligations, and refrain from making unfounded and politically motivated statements about others.
Human rights and research groups have documented a rise in anti minority violence and hate speech in India in recent years.
A Washington-based research group reported a 13 percent increase in hate speech targeting minorities, including Muslims and Christians, in 2025, with many incidents occurring in states governed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Independent monitoring also pointed to a continued pattern of mob violence and lynchings.
A report by the Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism noted that while large communal riots declined in 2025, lynching incidents and targeted acts of violence increased, raising serious concerns about the safety of religious communities.
Data collected by civil society organisations and media outlets have highlighted ongoing attacks against religious communities, particularly Muslims and Christians.
Incidents documented in 2025 included deadly mob assaults and violent disruptions during religious festivals, and police and judicial responses have often been criticised as slow or ineffective.
Reports show that attacks on Christian institutions, including vandalism and arson targeting churches and prayer gatherings, occurred across multiple states, while Muslims have continued to face mob assaults and communal tension in urban and rural regions.
