UNITED NATIONS – After clashes erupted due to the inauguration of a controversial Hindu temple in India this week, Pakistan has appealed to the United Nations to intervene for the protection of Islamic sites in the country.
During an ambassadorial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday, Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram raised the issue, denouncing the recent establishment of the Ram temple on the site of the demolished Babri Masjid.
In a letter addressed to Miguel Angel Moratinos, a senior official for the UN Alliance of Civilisations, Akram strongly condemned the construction and consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, India. He emphasised that this development poses a grave threat to the social, economic, and political well-being of Indian Muslims, as well as to regional harmony and peace.
The appeal from Pakistan to the UN came as a response to local authorities’ actions in Mumbai, where several makeshift shopfronts owned by Muslims were demolished.
In India’s financial hub, Mumbai, authorities have dismantled several makeshift shopfronts owned by Muslims.
Minor clashes erupted on Sunday in various parts of Mumbai, including one incident where Hindu groups chanting religious slogans passed through a Muslim neighborhood on the city’s outskirts. While there were no reports of serious injuries, by Tuesday, authorities had deployed excavators to demolish over a dozen shopfronts owned by Muslims in that area, as reported by local media outlets.
The following day, an additional 40 shopfronts were torn down on Mohammed Ali Road, a significant downtown street and hub of local Muslim commerce that had also witnessed clashes over the weekend.
It’s common for traders of all religions to set up makeshift shopfronts using canvas and wood to shield their businesses and customers from Mumbai’s harsh weather conditions.
According to municipal officials quoted in local media reports, the clearance drive was “routine” and planned prior to Sunday’s clashes. It aimed to remove unauthorized encroachments and ease pedestrian movement.
Local media reported that at least 13 individuals were arrested for their involvement in the weekend clashes.
