Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday said that New Delhi has unleashed its brute and oppressive state apparatus to browbeat Indian Muslims into submission.
His statement came a day after the homes of several Muslims were demolished in Utter Pradesh for protesting and their alleged involvement in riots last week triggered by the blasphemous remarks issued by the leaders of the ruling BJP.
Taking to his Twitter handle, PM Shahbaz said that India was working on a plan to “further marginalise” the Indian Muslims on political, economic, and cultural grounds, but the face of New Delhi’s so-called “democracy” was exposed to the world.
Pakistan condemns treatment of Muslims in India
Before the premier, the Foreign Office strongly condemned the heavy-handed treatment by the Indian authorities of the Muslims who were registering a peaceful protest after Friday prayers over the derogatory remarks issued by two members of the ruling political party Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The indiscriminate and widespread use of brute force by the Indian authorities across various states in India resulted in the killing of two innocent Muslim protesters and injuring of thirteen others in Ranchi city.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson, in a press release on Sunday, said that the footage of Indian forces unabashedly opening fire on unarmed protesters in Ranchi city was horrific beyond belief. In Uttar Pradesh alone a total of 227 people had been arrested so far.
Indian Muslim groups urge followers to shun protests
Leaders of prominent Islamic groups and mosques in India appealed to fellow Muslims on Monday to suspend plans for protests against derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) made by two members of the ruling Hindu-nationalist party.
The message to avoid big gatherings was circulated after demonstrations took a violent turn last week, leading to the death of two Muslim teenagers and the wounding of more than 30 people, including the police.
“It is the duty of every Muslim to stand together when anyone belittles Islam but at the same time it is critical to maintaining peace,” said Malik Aslam, a senior member of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, a Muslim organisation that operates in several Indian states.