The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday dismissed the Indian Ministry of External Affairs\u2019 (MEA) so-called “concerns” about Pakistan\u2019s Shia community, calling the remarks \u201ccynical and diversionary\u201d and an \u201cexercise in deflection masquerading as concern.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This response follows comments by India\u2019s MEA, which cited statements it attributed to Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Syed Asim Munir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
CDF Munir had met with Shia clerics in Rawalpindi earlier this month, and according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the meeting focused on national security and the role of ulema in maintaining societal harmony. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ISPR statement added that CDF Munir emphasised that religious sentiments must not be exploited to incite violence in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2037922955183947882&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.tv%2Flatest%2F657624-pakistan-rejects-indias-remarks-on-shia-community-calls-them-cynical-and-diversionary&sessionId=97e4eea636c323bc9af82521cbd6f05bcee361df&siteScreenName=geonews_english&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Indian MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, as quoted by Indian news agency ANI<\/em> on Friday, said that the remarks reflected Pakistan\u2019s \u201csystemic victimisation of minorities\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/googleads.g.doubleclick.net\/pagead\/ads?client=ca-pub-7369466212570555&output=html&h=280&adk=2160373281&adf=1379956708&w=650&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1774767071&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=7499976327&ad_type=text_image&format=650×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.tv%2Flatest%2F657624-pakistan-rejects-indias-remarks-on-shia-community-calls-them-cynical-and-diversionary&fwr=0&pra=3&rh=163&rw=650&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&aiof=9&asro=0&aiapmd=0.1423&aiapmid=1&aiactd=0&aicctd=0&ailctd=0&aimartd=4&aieuf=1&aicrs=1&fa=27&uach=WyJXaW5kb3dzIiwiMTAuMC4wIiwieDg2IiwiIiwiMTQ2LjAuNzY4MC4xNjUiLG51bGwsMCxudWxsLCI2NCIsW1siQ2hyb21pdW0iLCIxNDYuMC43NjgwLjE2NSJdLFsiTm90LUEuQnJhbmQiLCIyNC4wLjAuMCJdLFsiR29vZ2xlIENocm9tZSIsIjE0Ni4wLjc2ODAuMTY1Il1dLDBd&abgtt=6&dt=1774767071271&bpp=1&bdt=2350&idt=1&shv=r20260326&mjsv=m202603230101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D91be6a0f6cf21a5e%3AT%3D1771407516%3ART%3D1774766694%3AS%3DALNI_MaPXDewHkGHmrcLG378C89jYwdKrA&gpic=UID%3D00001203a73c35f4%3AT%3D1771407516%3ART%3D1774766694%3AS%3DALNI_MY9t1tQNmTIT2dSYYvyYtPkfExl6w&eo_id_str=ID%3D43e9cbb464ad9258%3AT%3D1771407516%3ART%3D1774766694%3AS%3DAA-AfjYc9HiHiZwm-3rftMMTwvRX&prev_fmts=0x0%2C1005x124&nras=3&correlator=3919406678647&rume=1&frm=20&pv=1&u_tz=300&u_his=4&u_h=1024&u_w=1280&u_ah=984&u_aw=1280&u_cd=32&u_sd=1&dmc=8&adx=118&ady=1237&biw=1265&bih=863&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=95384087%2C95386179%2C95386957%2C31061691%2C31061692&oid=2&pvsid=4019886842937382&tmod=566413770&uas=1&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.tv%2Fcategory%2Fpakistan&fc=1408&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C1280%2C0%2C1280%2C984%2C1280%2C863&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=128&bc=31&plas=404x582_l%7C404x582_r&bz=1&num_ads=1&ifi=3&uci=a!3&btvi=2&fsb=1&dtd=19<\/p>\n\n\n\n Responding a day later, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said, \u201cPakistan rejects India\u2019s remarks as cynical and diversionary \u2014 an exercise in deflection masquerading as concern.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The foreign ministry official said that India\u2019s comments could not \u201cmask its own record of the steady normalisation of discrimination and violence against Muslims, Christians, and other marginalised communities \u2014 from curbs on worship to mob vigilantism and the targeting of homes and livelihoods\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese patterns are well-documented,\u201d MoFA’s Andrabi said, adding, \u201cThe escalating wave of mob lynchings targeting Muslims is deeply abhorrent and underscores a climate of unchecked brutality.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the year 2025, more than 55 Muslims were reportedly lynched in India, and since January 2026, over 19 Muslims have been killed by violent mobs, according to the spokesperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExtremist groups have unlawfully sought the destruction of 11 mosques. Perpetrators of crimes against Muslims often act with impunity, enabled by state patronage, and are seldom held to account,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPakistan urges India to address these serious and well-documented concerns within its own borders, ensure the protection of Muslim, Christians and other communities in accordance with its constitutional and international obligations, and refrain from making unfounded and politically motivated statements about others,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday dismissed the Indian Ministry of External Affairs\u2019 (MEA) so-called “concerns” about Pakistan\u2019s Shia community, calling the remarks \u201ccynical and diversionary\u201d and an \u201cexercise in deflection masquerading as concern.\u201d This response follows comments by India\u2019s MEA, which cited statements it attributed to Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"no","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_3859443944190656_828796993651875":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[{"account":"facebook_3859443944190656_828796993651875","service":"facebook","timestamp":1774767276,"status":"success"}],"rop_publish_now_status":"done","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13793","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pakistan"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13793"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13795,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13793\/revisions\/13795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}