Pakistan condemns consecration of ‘Ram Temple’ on Babri Mosque’s site

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday condemned the construction and consecration of the ‘Ram Temple’ on the site of the demolished Babri Mosque in the Indian city of Ayodhya, urging the international community to take cognizance of the growing Islamophobia, hate speech and hate crimes in India.

“The United Nations and other relevant international organizations should play their part in saving the Islamic heritage sites in India from extremist groups and ensuring the protection of the religious and cultural rights of the minorities in India,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press statement.

Pakistan also urged the Government of India to ensure the safety and security of religious minorities, including Muslims and their holy places.

The centuries-old mosque was demolished on 6 December 1992 by a mob of extremists.

Deplorably, the spokesperson said, India’s superior judiciary not only acquitted the criminals responsible for this despicable act but also allowed the construction of a temple on the site of the demolished mosque.

“Developments of the last 31 years, leading to today’s consecration ceremony, are indicative of growing majoritarianism in India. These constitute an important facet of the ongoing efforts for social, economic and political marginalization of the Indian Muslims,” the spokesperson said.

A temple built on the site of a demolished mosque would remain a blot on the face of India’s democracy for the times to come. Notably, there was a growing list of mosques, including the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and Shahi Eidgah Mosque in Mathura, facing similar threats of desecration and destruction, it was added.

“The rising tide of ‘Hindutva’ ideology in India poses a serious threat to religious harmony and regional peace. The Chief Ministers of two major Indian states, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, are on record as citing the Babri Mosque’s demolition or inauguration of the ‘Ram Temple’ as the first step towards reclaiming parts of Pakistan,” the spokesperson said.

It is pertinent to mention here that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the consecration ceremony for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya — which Hindus believe to be the birthplace of their god-king “Ram”.

For decades, the temple site was bitterly contested by Hindus and minority Muslims, leading to nationwide riots in 1992 that killed 2,000 people, mainly Muslims, after a Hindu mob destroyed a 16th-century mosque that had stood there.

The temple has been a key electoral promise of Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) which, for years, had advocated for the construction of a temple in place of the 16th-century mosque built by the Mughals in 1528.

In 2019, the Supreme Court handed over the land to Hindus and ordered the allotment of a separate plot to Muslims where construction of a new mosque is yet to begin.