ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office denounced the “highly provocative and sacrilegious remarks” about Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) and Islam made by a state legislator from the hardline Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
T. Raja Singh, a lawmaker in the southern state of Telangana, was arrested and later released by a court in Hyderabad city on Tuesday, a lawyer for Singh told Reuters, after Muslim groups demanded his arrest for his comments.
“He has been charged with promoting enmity in the name of religion,” Joel Davis, a senior police official in Hyderabad city, told Reuters. “This is about the recent video that he posted.”
Hundreds of Muslims protested against Singh on Monday evening after the video appeared on social media, footage from the media showed.
Responding to the episode, the Foreign Office, in a statement issued Wednesday, observed it was the second time in three months that a top BJP leader made disrespectful comments against the prophet.
“These highly derogatory remarks have gravely hurt the feelings of the people of Pakistan and billions of Muslims around the world.”
On Tuesday, hours after he was detained by local police, Singh was suspended from his party pending an internal inquiry.
“He has been suspended for expressing views contrary to the party’s beliefs. The party doesn’t believe in running any religion down,” Om Pathak, the party official who issued Singh’s suspension order, told Reuters.
#RajaSingh suspended from the BJP Party. pic.twitter.com/j6qTTm6Cp9
— Khalida Parveen (@kparveen2005) August 23, 2022
But the Foreign Office pointed out that “the token and perfunctory disciplinary action taken by the BJP against the said official cannot assuage the pain and anguish caused to the Muslims of India and around the world”.
It also condemned the release of the lawmaker hours after his arrest and said the decision of setting free the politician was “highly reprehensible”.
The statement said the current incident once again highlighted the incumbent Indian regime’s “obsessively spiteful demeanour” towards the Muslims and “the worrying trajectory” of Islamophobia in India.
“The fact is that India is nothing more than an undeclared ‘Hindu Rashtra’ where Muslims are routinely denigrated, dispossessed and marginalized and their religious beliefs are trampled under majoritarian hegemonism.”
Islamabad also called out the “deafening silence” of the top BJP leadership, including Modi, on the abhorrent incident, saying it manifestly reflected their approval and complete support to the radical Hindu zealots within and beyond the party.
“Pakistan demands the Indian government to take immediate and decisive action against the BJP members habitually involved in attacking Islam and targeting the dignity of beloved Prophet (PBUH),” the statement added.
— With Reuters
