By Imran Nasir

ISLAMABAD (TSAT) - Pakistan on Wednesday summoned the Indian senior diplomat in Islamabad to the foreign ministry and lodged protest over ban on Muslim girls from education because of wearing Hijab.

In a statement, issued from the foreign ministry, said that the Indian Charge d’ Affaires in Islamabad was summoned conveyed the Government of Pakistan’s grave concern and condemnation on the deeply reprehensible act of banning Muslim girl students from wearing hijab (headscarf) in the Indian state of Karnataka.

"The Charge d’ Affaires was urged to convey to the Government of India, Pakistan’s extreme concern over the anti-hijab campaign, being spearheaded by RSS-BJP combine in Karnataka, which is part of its larger exclusionist and majoritarian agenda aimed at dehumanizing and demonizing Muslim women," said in the statement.

The foreign ministry further conveyed Pakistan’s deep concern that religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatization and discrimination against Muslims continue unabated even after almost two years of the horrific Delhi riots which claimed the lives of 50 innocent Muslims in February 2020.

"Government of Pakistan is also alarmed at the deafening silence of the BJP leadership and the absence of discernable action against Hindutva proponents openly calling for genocide of Muslims at the recently held Dharam Sansad in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.".

"It was also emphasized that the Government of India must fulfill its responsibility to hold the perpetrators of harassment against women in Karnataka to account and take adequate measures to ensure safety, security and well-being of Muslim women. He was further urged to impress upon the Government of India to take immediate action against perpetrators and abettors of anti-Muslim violence in Indian states of Assam, Tripura, Gurugram and Uttarakhand and bring justice to the victims of Delhi Riots." its said.

Pakistan also called upon the international community, including the United Nations and OIC, especially their human rights machinery, to take cognizance of the worrying level of Islamophobia in India and prevail upon Indian authorities to prevent systematic human rights violations against minorities in the country.

Earlier the day, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also expressed deep concern over the Indian government anti-Muslim acts and banning Muslim girls from education because of wearing Hijab.

"Depriving Muslim girls of an education is a grave violation of fundamental human rights. To deny anyone this fundamental right & terrorise them for wearing a hijab is absolutely oppressive. World must realise this is part of Indian state plan of ghettoisation of Muslims," Qureshi tweeted.

On Tuesday, In a video which got viral on Social media showed that a young Muslim girl parks her scooter and going to her college building when students wearing saffron scarves shout "Jai Shri Ram" and advance towards her. The Muslim student also shouts back: "Allah hu Akbar!"

The incident spread anger across the world and people condemned the inhuman act of Hindu extremist and silence of Modi's led BJP government for its failure to protect minorities in India.