Pakistan’s reaction criticising the acquittal of all the 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case has drawn a sharp flak from India, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday coming heavily down on Islamabad.
The MEA outright and strongly rejected Pakistan’s comments on the Babri demolition case verdict, saying it may be difficult for the neighbouring country, having a “coercive apparatus”, to understand the ethos of democracy and rule of law.
“India is a mature democracy where the government and people abide by the verdicts of the court and show respect for the rule of law,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at an online media briefing while replying to a question on Pakistan’s reaction to the ruling.
“It may be difficult for a system with a coercive apparatus where people and the courts can be silenced at will of the establishment to understand such a democratic ethos,” the MEA spokesman added.
Pakistan foreign ministry on Wednesday condemned the acquittal of the accused in the case and urged the Indian government to ensure safety, security and protection of the minorities, particularly the Muslims and their places of worship. All the 32 accused in the Babri mosque demolition case, including BJP veterans L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, were on Wednesday acquitted by a special CBI court in Lucknow which said there was no conclusive proof against them.
India on Thursday hit out at Pakistan on the issue of terrorism. India at UNHRC said that Pakistan continues to play victim card on terrorism to distract international community from the fact that it continues to support terrorists and terror organisations.
“Pakistan continues with its “shenanigan of running with the hare and hunting with the hound”, India’s first secretary to the United Nations in Geneva, Vimarsh Aryan said.
“Whenever there is a discussion on terrorism the failed state of Pakistan plays the victim card so as to distract international community’s attention from the reality that Pakistan is unabashedly harbouring and supporting UN proscribed terrorists and terrorist organisations.”
Aryan also exposed the condition of minorities, women, children and journalists in Pakistan. He said, “The draconian State of Pakistan dares to talk about the rights of minorities in egalitarian India without realising that their responsibility is to protect people.” The Indian diplomat cited the example of Asif Pervaiz, a Christian man from Lahore who was recently sentenced to death under draconian blasphemy laws of Pakistan.
Aryan said, “The barbaric State of Pakistan dares to talk about the rights of women in an inclusive democracy like India without realising that their responsibility is to protect women.” He gave an example of Parsha Kumari, a Hindu woman who was abducted and converted in the southern province of Sindh.