The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday criticised Pakistan’s comments about the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya title dispute case. Islamabad said that the top court judgement failed to uphold the demands of justice and that it “shredded the veneer of so-called secularism of India”, PTI reported.
In an unanimous verdict on Saturday, the Supreme Court said a trust should be set up by the Centre within three months to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. The Muslims, the court had said, should be given five acres plot elsewhere in Ayodhya for the construction of a new mosque as relief for the “unlawful destruction” of the Babri Masjid in 1992.
“We have noted with deep concern the decision of the Indian Supreme Court regarding the historic Babri Masjid,” the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that the Indian government should ensure the protection of Muslims, their lives, rights and properties. The ministry urged the United Nations and other human rights organisations to restrain India from “its pursuit of an extremist ideology and to ensure equal rights and protection of the minorities in India”.
In response, India’s Ministry of External Affairs rejected the “unwarranted and gratuitous comments” made by Pakistan. “The judgement of the Supreme Court of India on a civil matter is completely internal to India,” ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
“It pertains to the rule of law and equal respect for all faiths, concepts that are not part of their [Pakistan’s] ethos,” Kumar added. “So, while Pakistan’s lack of comprehension is not surprising, their pathological compulsion to comment on our internal affairs with the obvious intent of spreading hatred is condemnable.”
Also read:
- Ayodhya verdict is silent on why Muslims must prove exclusive possession of site – but not Hindus
- ‘We don’t need charity’: Muslim voices reject five-acre plot awarded in place of Babri Masjid
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