India slams Pak for ‘unwarranted’ statement on Ayodhya verdict

New Delhi, Nov 09: India on Saturday rejected Pakistan's "unwarranted and gratuitous" statement on the Ayodhya verdict, saying it is a civil matter that is completely internal to India.

"We reject the unwarranted and gratuitous comments made by Pakistan on the judgment of the Supreme Court of India on a civil matter that is completely internal to India. It pertains to the rule of law and equal respect for all faiths, concepts that are not part of their ethos. So, while Pakistan's lack of comprehension is not surprising, their pathological compulsion to comment on our internal affairs with the obvious intent of spreading hatred is condemnable," the official statement said.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi objected to the timing of the Ayodhya verdict, which coincides with the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor, saying he was "deeply saddened" at the "insensitivity" shown at such a joyous occasion.

"Could it (verdict) not have waited a few days? I am deeply saddened at the insensitivity shown at such a joyous occasion," Qureshi was quoted as saying by the DawnNewsTV.

"You should have taken part in this happy occasion and not attempted to divert attention. The dispute is a sensitive issue and should not have been made part of this happy day," he said, referring to the opening of the much-awaited Kartarpur corridor.

Supreme Court in a unanimous verdict on Saturday cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

In one of the most important and most anticipated judgements in India's history, a 5-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi put an end to the more than a century old dispute that has torn the social fabric of the nation.