Today marks the thirty-first anniversary of the demolition of the historic Babri Mosque in the Indian city of Ayodhya by Hindu extremists.  

In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said on this day, 31 years ago, a mob of Hindu zealots demolished this centuries-old Mosque in full view of Indian law enforcement authorities.

The spokesperson lamented that that India’s superior judiciary not only acquitted the criminals responsible for this hateful act but also allowed the construction of a temple on the site of the demolished Mosque. The temple is expected to be inaugurated in January 2024, months before the next general elections in India.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the anti-Muslim frenzy that caused the Babri Mosque’s destruction remains unabated. She regretted that a few weeks ago, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh publicly cited the Mosque’s demolition as a template to reclaim parts of Pakistan.

She said elements belonging to the ruling dispensation in India continue to incite hysteria and hatred against Muslims. She said Hindu supremacist groups are demanding conversion of many other mosques into temples, including the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and Shahi Eidgah Mosque in Mathura. Several mosques and shrines have already been demolished under the garb of different administrative measures or judicial processes.

The spokesperson said Muslim holy sites also remain a target of attacks by the mobs of extremists.

She called upon the international community to take cognizance of the growing Islamophobia, hate speech and hate crimes in India.

The spokesperson urged the Indian government to ensure safety, security and protection of minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship.