FO Spokesperson strongly condemns prohibition of ‘Shab-e-Qadr’ & ‘Jumat ul Vida’ congregations at Jama Masjid in Srinagar
Strongly condemns Israeli raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque
ISLAMABAD ( Web News )
Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad has said that the Indian occupation forces have intensified their repression against innocent Kashmiris during the holy month of Ramadan. The Indian occupation forces have prohibited the congregations of “Shab-e-Qadr” and “Jumat ul Vida” at Jama Masjid in Srinagar.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad in a statement issued on Friday said that Pakistan condemns in the strongest possible terms, these curbs on Kashmiri Muslims to practice their religion and restraining them from congregating on special religious occasions in this holy month of peace and mercy.
He said that these curbs are the latest in a series of repressive measures taken by Indian occupation forces in IIOJK that have hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims, from desecration of the Holy Quran and burning down of mosques and shrines in IIOJK to restrictions on religious congregations and prayers. Indian forces have also been engaged in unrelenting and wilful attacks, harassment and intrusive surveillance of Muslim worshippers.
He said that the conduct of Indian forces defies all norms of decency and human dignity. Imposition of restrictions on religious freedoms through illegal, arbitrary, and unjustified measures is yet another brazen assault by Indian occupation forces on the human rights of the Kashmiri Muslims. It is also a manifestation of their moral bankruptcy as well as the endemic culture of impunity in IIOJK.
Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that Pakistan strongly condemns these despicable acts and calls on India to let the Kashmiri Muslims hold their religious congregations in peace and without any hindrance to their inalienable rights to freedom of religion and assembly.
Meanwhile Pakistan has strongly condemned Friday’s raid by Israeli forces on Al Aqsa Mosque on Juma’tul-Wida in the holy month of Ramadan, resulting in injuries to many innocent Palestinian worshippers. It is reprehensible that nearly 300 Palestinians have been injured over the past two weeks in Israeli attacks at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Asim Iftikhar Ahmad in a statement said that the indiscriminate use of force by Israeli occupation forces against defenceless Palestinians defies all humanitarian norms and human rights laws. Such attacks, in addition to causing injury to the Palestinians, violate the sanctity of Islamic holy sites.
He said that Pakistan calls upon the international community to take urgent action to put an end to the Israeli violations, which continue to fuel violence, tension and instability in the region, and remain a matter of grave concern for the entire Muslim world. We reaffirm our consistent and unstinted support for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause, which has always been a defining principle of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
“We renew our call for a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State, with pre-1967 borders, and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital being the only just, comprehensive and lasting solution of the Palestinian question, in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions” Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said.