Pakistan on Wednesday strongly denounced the Modi-led BJP government's move to mark August 14 -- Pakistan's independence day -- as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’.
The Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson said that the “revisionist” BJP-RSS regime “sought to hypocritically and one-sidedly invoke the tragic events and mass migration that occurred in the wake of Independence in 1947”.
According to the foreign ministry, the BJP’s “deplorable” aim, as part of its divisive political agenda, was “wantonly attempting to play with the sentiments of the people through distorted interpretation of history”.
“If the Indian leaders genuinely care about agony, suffering and pain, they must work to improve the conditions of the Muslims and other minorities in India,” said the statement.
The MoFA stated that the last seven decades were replete with “undeniable proof that India’s espousal of secularism was a sham”.
“The fact is that today’s India is an undeclared ‘Hindu Rashtra’ that has no place or tolerance for other religious minorities, especially Muslims who are faced with discrimination, persecution and political and socio-economic exclusion.”
The FO advised New Delhi to desist from politicising events related to Independence and instead sincerely honour the memories of those who made sacrifices for a better future for all.
Backchannel contacts between Pakistan and India met a dead end as both sides have struggled to agree on the moves that may pave the way for slow but gradual improvement in the relationship.
“Talks have been going on but have reached a point where things aren’t moving anywhere,” a source familiar with the development said.
There has been a desire from both sides to break the impasse but the issue is how to move forward from this point onwards, the source explained.
What slowed down the process was the political uncertainty in Pakistan.
