New Delhi, Jan 9 (NationPress) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has once again responded to Pakistan's unfounded claims regarding alleged attempts to erase Muslim heritage in India. During a weekly media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasized that Pakistan should first examine the status of minorities within its own borders before passing judgment on others.

In response to comments made by Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi regarding a recent demolition operation in New Delhi, Jaiswal remarked, "There is no need for me to elaborate on the treatment of minorities in that nation. Those who make such statements should first reflect on their own history before criticizing others."

Andrabi's statements followed a demolition drive near the Faiz-e-Elahi Mosque in the Turkman Gate area of Delhi, which aimed to remove illegal encroachments. According to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials, the operation was in compliance with orders from the Delhi High Court to eliminate unauthorized structures near the mosque.

Last month, India firmly dismissed Islamabad's assertions regarding violence against minorities in India, highlighting Pakistan's poor record in this regard. "We categorically reject remarks from a nation whose dismal track record is well-documented. The horrific and systematic oppression of minorities of various faiths in Pakistan is an undeniable reality. No amount of finger-pointing can obscure this truth," stated the MEA in response to comments from a spokesperson of the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In November, India criticized Pakistan’s statements concerning the flag hoisting at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, asserting that Islamabad lacks any moral authority to lecture others on such matters, given its own tarnished history of intolerance and systematic discrimination against its minorities.

During the media briefing, spokesperson Jaiswal reiterated that Pakistan should instead focus on its own grave human rights violations.

When questioned about the Pakistani Foreign Ministry's remarks on the flag hoisting at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Uttar Pradesh, Jaiswal replied, "We have seen the reported comments and dismiss them with the disdain they deserve. As a nation with a deeply tarnished record of intolerance, oppression, and systematic abuse of its minorities, Pakistan has no moral authority to lecture others. Instead of delivering hypocritical sermons, Pakistan should turn its attention inwards and focus on its own dire human rights situation."

Last year, a report from the International Centre for Peace Studies based in New Delhi highlighted the ongoing persecution of minorities in Pakistan, particularly the persistent portrayal of Hindus as the "other." This manipulation of Islam and the anti-India narrative for political purposes exposes stark contradictions within the nation’s identity.

The report, citing the Lahore-based Centre for Social Justice, documented 344 blasphemy cases in 2024, and highlighted that from 2021 to 2024, at least 421 minority women and girls — predominantly Hindus and Christians, with 71% being minors — faced forced conversions.