New Delhi : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has accused his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi of targeting minorities—a development that comes as he faces pressure to take action against those responsible for a recent mob attack at the revered Sikh shrine Nankana Sahib.
Khan, who was criticised recently for having tried to pass off a 2013 video from Bangladesh as Uttar Pradesh Police targeting Muslims in the state, responded to his critics in tweets.
“The major difference between the condemnable Nankana incident & the ongoing attacks across India on Muslims & other minorities is this: the former is against my vision & will find zero tolerance & protection from the govt incl (sic) police & judiciary,” his first tweet said.
“In contrast, Modi’s RSS vision supports minorities oppression & the targeted attacks against Muslims are part of this agenda. RSS goons conducting public lynchings, Muslims being violated by mobs are all not only supported by Modi Govt (sic) but Indian police leads anti-Muslim attacks,” the second tweet said.
A video of a recent mob attack at Nankana Sahib—a shrine that Sikhs consider important because it was the birthplace of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak—has drawn criticism from India. The development is significant because it comes at a time when the Indian government faces pressure over a controversial amendment to the citizenship law. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which heads the National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, has used the attack to bolster its own argument in favour of the law.
The new citizenship law allows citizenship to be granted to persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, but excludes Muslims from the list. The Bill has been criticised for being unconstitutional, and is being seen as one that, when combined with a proposed exercise to register citizens, could be used to specifically target Muslims at home.
The central government insists that the two exercises are independent of one another, but critics use previous statements issued by ministers to show that the two are interlinked and cannot be seen separately. (Agencies)
