The terms of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs evoke a “serious violation” of religious freedom, in the context of systematic harassment of the Muslim population
Indian soldiers in IIOJK. PHOTO: ANADOLU AGENCY
Pakistan on Saturday strongly condemned the profiling of mosques and mosque management committees in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), terming it a serious violation of fundamental religious freedoms.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “this blatant intrusion into religious affairs constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion and belief and reflects a further coercive attempt to intimidate and marginalize the Muslim population of the occupied territory.”
“The forced collection of personal data, photographs and sectarian affiliations of religious officials amounts to systematic harassment, aimed at sowing fear among the faithful and hindering the free exercise of their faith,” the statement said.
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The ministry said these actions are part of a broader pattern of institutionalized Islamophobia driven by the Hindutva ideology of the occupying Indian government. The selective targeting of mosques and Muslim clergy, he adds, exposes the discriminatory and communal nature of these policies.
The declaration underlines that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have the inalienable right to practice their religion without fear, coercion or discrimination.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that Pakistan would continue to stand in solidarity with Kashmiris and persist in raising its voice against all forms of religious persecution and intolerance against them.
The statement comes amid ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India over the disputed region of Kashmir, which both countries fully claim but partly control.
Earlier on Thursday, Pakistani delegate Asif Khan told the United Nations General Assembly: “Jammu and Kashmir is not an integral part of India, nor has it ever been under international law.”
Pakistan has dismissed India’s untenable claim that Jammu and Kashmir is an “integral and inalienable part” of it, saying UN resolutions recognize the Himalayan state as a disputed territory.
Khan said India has continued to deny this right to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for decades, a right affirmed by the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, coupled with systematic repression.
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The final decision regarding the State of Jammu and Kashmir must be determined in accordance with the freely expressed will of its people, through a free and impartial plebiscite held under the auspices of the United Nations, he said.
Since August 5, 2019, the Pakistani delegate said, India has been engaged in a move to transform the occupied territory from a Muslim-majority state into a Hindu-majority territory, in blatant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and international law.
