Pakistan has condemned the reported profiling of mosques and mosque management committees in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said this blatant intrusion into religious affairs constitutes a grave violation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion and belief and reflects yet another coercive attempt to intimidate and marginalise the Muslim population of the occupied territory.

The spokesperson said 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 spokesperson said these actions form part of a broader pattern of institutionalised Islamophobia driven by the Hindutva ideology of the occupying Indian government.

The selective targeting of mosques and Muslim clergy lays bare the discriminatory and communal character of these policies. Tahir Andrabi said the people of Jammu and Kashmir possess an inalienable right to practise their religion without fear, coercion or discrimination. He said 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.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)