Pakistan summons top Indian diplomat over Dharma Sansad hate speech
The ‘Dharma Sansad’ was organised by Yati Narasinghanand Giri of the Juna Akhada, who is already under police scanner for making hate speeches and inciting violence against Muslims held at Ved Niketan Dham in Haridwar from December 17-20.
FollowPakistan on Monday summoned the senior-most Indian diplomat in Islamabad, India’s Charge d’Affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conveyed its concerns over calls for violence against minorities by Hindu seers at a three-day event held in Haridwar.
The charge d’affaires of the Indian high commission was summoned to the foreign ministry in Islamabad and asked to convey the Pakistan government’s serious concerns “over the widely reported open calls by Hindutva proponents for carrying out genocide of Indian Muslims”, an official statement said.
The ‘Dharma Sansad’ was organised by Yati Narasinghanand Giri of the Juna Akhada, who is already under police scanner for making hate speeches and inciting violence against Muslims held at Ved Niketan Dham in Haridwar from December 17-20.
Police in Haridwar registered a case on Thursday after videos of the three-day Dharma Sansad held during December 17-19 caused a furore since several seers participating in the event had called for violence against minorities.
There was no response from the Indian side to the summoning of the diplomat by Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
The Pakistani side impressed upon the Indian government that it was “highly reprehensible” that the seers who made the calls for violence had “neither expressed any regret nor the Indian government has condemned or taken any action against them so far”, the statement said.
The reported hate speeches were viewed with grave concern by civil society and a cross-section of people in Pakistan, the statement said. A “toxic narrative against minorities, particularly Muslims and their persecution” has become a norm, and such incitement to violence had preceded riots in New Delhi in February 2020, the statement added.
“India is expected to investigate these hate speeches and incidents of widespread violence against minorities, particularly Muslims and their houses of worship and take measures to stop such incidents from recurring in future,” the statement said.
Several Opposition leaders in India, including those from the Congress and the TMC, have condemned what they said was a “hate speech conclave” held in Haridwar and called for strict action against those involved.
An FIR has been lodged against Jitendra Narayan Tyagi and others in connection with alleged hate speeches delivered at a Dharma Sansad in Haridwar to incite violence against the minorities, police said on Friday.
