Webdesk: Pakistan has condemned the demolition of a century old mosque in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, with the Foreign Office calling for greater protection of religious sites belonging to minorities.
Foreign Office spokesperson Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan described the demolition as a reprehensible act and said it reflected what Pakistan viewed as wider concerns over the treatment of Islamic heritage and Muslim places of worship in India.
Indian media reported that the mosque was demolished by Uttar Pradesh authorities on September 5 during an early morning operation conducted under heavy police deployment.
Responding to questions about the incident, the Pakistani Foreign Office also referred to the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid, describing it as a continuing symbol of religious intolerance and prejudice.
Pakistan urged the international community to take notice of what it described as the persecution of Muslims and the destruction or desecration of their places of worship in India.
The Foreign Office called for Indian authorities to be held accountable for actions that Pakistan said could affect the religious freedoms and cultural heritage of minority communities, particularly Muslims.
The Indian authorities have not been quoted in the material available for this report responding specifically to Pakistan’s criticism.
The latest development comes against a wider backdrop of long standing debate in India over religious sites, minority rights and the preservation of historic places of worship. The Babri Masjid dispute remains particularly significant in relations between India and Pakistan and in discussions surrounding religious tensions in India.
The incident has again brought attention to the relationship between religious freedom and the protection of cultural heritage. International scrutiny of such cases often focuses on whether authorities provide equal protection to places of worship and minority communities.
For Pakistan, the demolition has become another point of diplomatic concern in its already strained relationship with India. For observers, the broader question remains how religious sites and minority heritage can be protected amid continuing political and social tensions.
