MEA Slams Pakistan’s Minority Claims, Calls Allegations Baseless and Hypocritical

The Ministry of External Affairs rejected comments from Pakistan on alleged minority attacks in India, calling them an attempt to distract from Pakistan's own record. The statement responded to reported remarks by Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, who referred to episodes in India as "targeting religious minorities" and urged global attention, according to ARY News.

The external affairs ministry said, "We reject the reported remarks from a country whose abysmal record on this front speaks for itself. Pakistan's horrific and systemic victimisation of minorities of various faiths is a well established fact. No amount of finger pointing will obfuscate it," stressing that Pakistan's treatment of minorities was already well documented.

MEA response to Pakistan on minority attacks in India and Andrabi’s allegations

According to the ARY News report, Tahir Andrabi, while answering questions from journalists, "described the persecution of minorities in India as a matter of serious concern". Andrabi was quoted as raising several examples, including recent incidents linked to Christmas events, and appealed to the international community to note these developments in India.

The same report added, "He highlighted incidents of Christmas vandalism and state-backed campaigns targeting Muslims, including demolitions of homes and repeated lynching cases, citing the high-profile case of Muhammad Akhlaq, where authorities allegedly shielded the perpetrators from accountability," presenting these as evidence to support the claims about minorities in India.

MEA response to Pakistan on minority attacks in India amid Christmas vandalism reports

Andrabi's remarks came soon after several cases of pre-Christmas vandalism were reported across India in December. Incidents surfaced from states including Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Assam before the festival. These reports were widely covered and became part of a broader political debate around religious freedom and public celebrations.

Officials in Raipur said a mall in Chhattisgarh's capital was reportedly damaged by an unidentified group on December 24 during a day-long shutdown called 'Chhattisgarh bandh’ over alleged religious conversions, PTI reported. On the same day in Assam's Nalbari, police told PTI that members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal allegedly broke Christmas decorations at a school and damaged festive goods in shops, leading to four arrests.

Political reactions and MEA response to Pakistan on minority attacks in India

These incidents drew sharp criticism from Opposition leaders within India. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said Christmas had been observed with "fear and anxiety" among Christians, while senior Congress figure Ashok Gehlot labelled the episodes "worrying and condemnable". Against this domestic backdrop, the MEA maintained that Pakistan's record on minorities undermined its criticism of developments in India.