ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly condemned what it described as the reported profiling of mosques and mosque management committees in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, calling the measures a serious violation of religious freedom, according to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Saturday.
In the statement, MOFA said that the reported actions amounted to “a blatant intrusion into religious affairs” and constituted “a grave violation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion and belief.”
“The forcible collection of personal details, photographs, and sectarian affiliations of religious functionaries amounts to systematic harassment, aimed at instilling fear among worshippers and obstructing the free exercise of their faith,” the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
'Institutionalised Islamophobia'
The ministry said the reported measures reflected “yet another coercive attempt to intimidate and marginalise the Muslim population of the occupied territory.”
The statement said the actions were part of what it described as a broader pattern of discrimination against Muslims in the region.
“These actions form part of a broader pattern of institutionalised Islamophobia driven by the Hindutva ideology of the occupying Indian government,” the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “The selective targeting of mosques and Muslim clergy lays bare the discriminatory and communal character of these policies.”
The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had an “inalienable right to practise their religion without fear, coercion or discrimination.”
Pakistan reaffirmed its support for the people of the disputed region and said it would continue to raise the issue at international forums.
“Pakistan will continue to stand in solidarity with them and will persist in raising its voice against all forms of religious persecution and intolerance targeting Kashmiris,” the ministry said.
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