State Department terms move “serious violation” of religious freedom, part of systematic harassment of Muslim population
Indian soldiers in IIOJK. PHOTO: ANADOLU AGENCY
Pakistan on Saturday strongly condemned the reported profiling of mosques and mosque management committees in India’s illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), terming it a grave violation of fundamental religious freedoms.
In a statement, the State Department said, “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 forced collection of personal information, photographs and sectarian affiliations by religious officials amounts to systematic harassment, aimed at instilling fear among worshipers and hindering the free exercise of their faith,” the statement read.
Read: Pakistan rejects India’s “integral part” claim to Kashmir
The ministry said these actions are part of a wider pattern of institutionalized Islamophobia fueled by the Hindutva ideology of the occupying Indian government. The selective targeting of mosques and Muslim clerics, it added, exposes the discriminatory and communal nature of these policies.
The statement emphasized that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have an inalienable right to practice their religion without fear, coercion or discrimination.
The State Department reiterated that Pakistan will continue to stand in solidarity with Kashmiris and continue to raise its voice against all forms of religious persecution and intolerance directed at them.
The statement comes amid ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India over the disputed Kashmir region, which both countries claim in full but partially control.
Earlier on Thursday, Pakistani delegate Asif Khan told the UN General Assembly: “Jammu and Kashmir is not ‘an integral part’ of India, nor has it ever been under international law.”
Pakistan dismissed 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 the people of Jammu and Kashmir this right for decades, a right confirmed by the Declaration of Grant of Independence to colonial lands and peoples, coupled with systematic repression.
Read more: A locked region and its trapped voices
The final disposition of the state of Jammu and Kashmir must be determined in accordance with the freely expressed will of its people through a free and impartial referendum conducted under the auspices of the United Nations, he said.
Since August 5, 2019, the Pakistani delegate said, India has embarked on a course aimed at transforming the occupied territory from a Muslim-majority state into a Hindu-majority territory, in flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and international law.
