ISLAMABAD – A New exchange of words added fresh tension to already fraught relationship between arch-rivals Pakistan and India.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs hits back at India’s remarks on the Shia community, calling them “cynical and diversionary.” It comes back after Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces, Syed Asim Munir’s meeting Shia clerics in Rawalpindi to discuss national security and the importance of religious harmony.
New Delhi accused Pakistan of minority victimisation, prompting sharp rebuttal from Islamabad, which pointed to rising violence against Muslims in India and called on New Delhi to address its own internal issues before commenting on others.
MoFA unleashed blistering rebuttal, tearing into India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for what it described as “cynical and diversionary” remarks about Pakistan’s Shia community, framing the exchange as yet another flashpoint in the escalating war of words between the two nuclear-armed rivals.
The controversy erupted after New Delhi pointed to remarks attributed to Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Syed Asim Munir. Asim Munir met Shia clerics in Rawalpindi, where talks centered on national security and the critical role of ulema in preserving unity. Munir reportedly warned against the dangerous misuse of religious sentiments to incite unrest, underscoring the state’s concern over internal stability.
Indian MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal raised question at Pakistan’s “systemic victimisation of minorities,” a charge that drew an immediate and forceful response from Islamabad.
FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi accused New Delhi of attempting to deflect global scrutiny from its own record, alleging a “steady normalisation” of discrimination and violence against Muslims, Christians, and other marginalised groups across India. He pointed to restrictions on religious practices, rising mob vigilantism, and attacks on homes and livelihoods as evidence of a worsening climate.
Andrabi escalated the claims further, citing figures that more than 55 Muslims were lynched in India during 2025, with over 19 more killed in mob violence since the start of 2026 alone. He also alleged that extremist elements had targeted at least 11 mosques for destruction, warning that perpetrators frequently act with impunity under what he described as state-enabled protection.
FO urged India to confront these “well-documented” issues within its own borders, fulfill its constitutional and international obligations to safeguard minority rights, and refrain from making what it termed politically motivated and unfounded accusations against Pakistan.
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