India has strongly rejected a statement made by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari regarding the alleged demolition threats to historic Muslim religious sites in the country, including the 1,000-year-old Masjid Ganj Shaheeda in Varanasi. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that Zardari has no locus standi to comment on internal matters of India. Randhir Jaiswal, the MEA’s official spokesperson, emphasized that Pakistan’s own record on human rights is a matter of global commentary, making Zardari’s comments particularly absurd. Jaiswal also highlighted Pakistan’s long history of systematically targeting and victimizing minorities across various faiths, which he described as notorious. Given this reality, the President’s remarks can only be read as a deliberate political attack, driven by Pakistan’s national policies of bigotry and hatred, Jaiswal added.
Zardari had expressed deep concern over the alleged demolitions and threats to historic Muslim religious sites in India and urged Indian authorities to halt such actions. However, India has consistently maintained that issues relating to domestic matters fall within its sovereign jurisdiction and has repeatedly rejected comments from Pakistan on such subjects.
