Pakistan hits out at BJP for remarks against Prophet

Islamabad, June 6 (IANS) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Arif Alvi have strongly condemned the derogatory remarks made by two now-suspended BJP spokepersons against Prophet Muhammad.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Sharif said: "I condemn in the strongest possible words hurtful comments of India's BJP leader about our beloved Prophet. (I have) said it repeatedly India under Modi is trampling religious freedoms and persecuting Muslims. The world should take note and severely reprimand India.

"Our love for the Holy Prophet is supreme. All Muslims can sacrifice their life for the love and respect of their Holy Prophet."

President Alvi said "such comments were the reflection of a growing trend of Islamophobia in India, which is home to millions of Muslims", Dawn news reported.

He said that "merely suspending and expelling party officials was not enough and the BJP must shun and denounce its extremist and fascist Hindutva ideology".

"Allowing such Islamophobic remarks to continue without punishment constitutes a grave danger to the protection of human rights and may lead to further prejudice and marginalisation, which will create a cycle of violence and hate," Dawn news quoted the President as saying.

He called upon the world community, UN and international human rights organisations "to take serious notice of rising Islamophobia and systematic religious persecution in India without impunity and take all steps necessary to put an end to it".

The Foreign Office spokesperson also said in a statement that Pakistan condemned in the strongest possible terms the highly derogatory remarks recently made by two senior BJP officials.

"BJP's attempted clarification and belated and perfunctory disciplinary action against these individuals cannot assuage the pain and anguish they have caused to the Muslim world.

"Muslims residing in India are equally outraged by the completely repugnant comments by the two BJP officials. The ensuing communal violence in Kanpur and in other parts of India bears testimony to this fact," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by Dawn news

He said Pakistan was also "deeply concerned at the alarming rise in communal violence and hatred directed against the Muslims in India".

Some of the other Muslim nations that have condemned the remarks are Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.

Doha demanded the Indian government issue a public apology over the comments.

On Sunday, the BJP suspended party spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal for their comments on Prophet Muhammad and said that party's view is to respect all religions.

Sharma was the party national spokesperson and Jindal the spokesperson and head of media department of the BJP Delhi unit.