Pakistan condemns brutal treatment of Muslims protesting in India

• "This is a new low in Indian govt’s repressive ‘Hindutva’ inspired majoritarian policy aimed at demonising minorities," Foreign Office says.
• Pakistan terms the footage of Indian forces unabashedly opening fire on unarmed protesters in Ranchi city as “horrific”.
• "It is alarming that despite global condemnation of sacrilegious remarks, Indian govt’s reaction has been muted," the ministry says.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday strongly condemned the heavy-handed treatment by the Indian authorities of Muslims who were registering a peaceful protest after Friday prayers over the derogatory remarks of the two members of the ruling political party BJP against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

“The indiscriminate and widespread use of brute force by the Indian authorities across various states in India has resulted in the killing of two innocent Muslim protesters and critically injured thirteen others in Ranchi city,” a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs read.

It is worth mentioning that in Jharkand's Ranchi, Indian police shot dead two protesters when they opened fire at the demonstrators protesting against a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) official's blasphemous comment about Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

According to NDTV, the police had to fire and baton charge in order to contain the mob. More than 130 protestors were arrested as country-wide protests broke out in India following a BJP spokesperson's blasphemous remarks about the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Muslims took to the streets after Friday prayers in huge numbers across India and neighbouring countries to condemn the comments, with police firing on a crowd in the eastern city of Ranchi.

Terming the footage of Indian forces unabashedly opening fire on unarmed protesters in Ranchi city as “horrific”, the Foreign Office mentioned reported that in Uttar Pradesh alone a total of 227 people have been arrested so far.

“This is a new low in the Indian government’s repressive ‘Hindutva’ inspired majoritarian policy aimed at demonising and persecuting minorities, especially Muslims,” the ministry said.

The Foreign Office reiterated that Pakistan denounces this shameful treatment of Indian Muslim citizens by the Indian government and expresses its solidarity with the Muslims of India in these testing times.

“It is alarming that despite the global condemnation of the BJP officials’ sacrilegious remarks, the Indian government’s reaction has been muted, while on the other hand the BJP-RSS regime has persisted in its Islamophobic actions and has shamefully chosen to handle public protest with brutal and indiscriminate use of force,” the ministry noted.

The office warned that the Indian Government’s apathy to the grievous situation and the vicious cycle of communal violence may lead to further marginalisation of the Indian Muslims.

Reiterating Pakistan’s stance, the Foreign Office once again strongly urged India to ensure that demonstrable action is taken against those responsible for making derogatory remarks and attacking the dignity of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

“The international community must also take immediate cognizance of the grievously aggravating situation of Islamophobia in India. India must be held accountable for stifling the rights of the minorities, especially Muslims, and ensure that Muslims living in India are not victimised for practicing their faith and religious beliefs