The terms of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consider a “serious violation” of religious freedom, part of the systematic harassment of the Muslim population.
Indian soldiers in IIOJK. PHOTO: ANADOLU AGENCY
Pakistan on Saturday strongly condemned the reported profiling of mosques and mosque management committees in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), terming it a grave 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 yet another coercive attempt to intimidate and marginalize the Muslim population of the occupied territory.”
“The forcible collection of personal data, photographs and sectarian affiliations of religious officials amounts to systematic harassment, intended to instill fear among the faithful and obstruct the free exercise of their faith,” the statement read.
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The ministry said these actions are part of a broader pattern of institutionalized Islamophobia driven by the Indian occupying government’s Hindutva ideology. The selective attack on mosques and Muslim clergy, he added, exposes the discriminatory and communal nature of these policies.
The statement emphasized that the people of Jammu and Kashmir possess the inalienable right to practice their religion without fear, coercion or discrimination.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that Pakistan will continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Kashmir 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 claim in full but partially control.
Earlier on Thursday, Pakistani delegate Asif Khan told the United Nations General Assembly: “Jammu and Kashmir are not ‘an integral part’ of India, nor have they ever been under international law.”
Pakistan brushed aside India’s untenable claim that Jammu and Kashmir was its “integral and inalienable part”, saying UN resolutions recognized the Himalayan state as a disputed territory.
Khan said India continues 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, along with systematic repression.
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The final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir will be determined in accordance with the freely expressed will of its people, through a free and impartial plebiscite held under the auspices of the UN, he said.
Since August 5, 2019, the Pakistani delegate stated, India has embarked on a path aimed at transforming the occupied territory from a Muslim-majority State to a Hindu-majority territory, in flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and international law.
