India on Wednesday condemned Pakistan’s criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisting a flag atop the Ram temple in Ayodhya. In a searing response to Pakistan’s remarks, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi “rejects with contempt” the claims, stressing that a country steeped in intolerance and systemic discrimination cannot masquerade as a defender of pluralism.
Pakistan had protested the flag-hoisting at the Ram temple, alleging it represented growing pressure on religious minorities and an attempt to erase Muslim heritage. India dismissed the charge as baseless, politically driven, and wholly detached from ground realities.
“Pakistan should focus on its own abysmal human rights record instead of delivering hypocritical homilies,” Jaiswal said at the MEA’s weekly briefing. He added that Islamabad’s “deeply stained history of bigotry and repression” leaves it with no moral standing to lecture India. Reinforcing India’s position, Jaiswal said Pakistan’s leadership “would do better to turn its gaze inwards” and confront its own persistent human rights failures rather than commenting on internal events in India.
