Pakistan on Saturday condemned the reported profiling of mosques and mosque management committees in India-controlled Kashmir, Dawn E-Paper reported.
The official statement issued describes the “blatant intrusion into religious affairs” as a “grave violation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion and belief”.
The FO’s statement comes after police in the occupied valley distributed forms to “collect” financial and personal details of mosques and seminaries, including mosque leaders and members of management committees, according to a report by the Hindustan Times, which quoted local residents and Kashmiri leaders.
The action “reflects yet another coercive attempt to intimidate and marginalise the Muslim population of the territory,” the FO said.
The forms included sections for seminary teachers and mosque leaders to provide details of their “Aadhaar cards, bank accounts, property ownership, social media handles, passport, ration card, driving licence, SIM cards and mobile phone model along with the IMEI”, the Hindustan Times reported. It added that details regarding the “religious sect” of the mosques were also sought.
The FO maintained that the “people of Jammu and Kashmir possess an inalienable right to practice their religion without fear, coercion or discrimination”.
“Pakistan will continue to stand in solidarity with them and will persist in raising its voice against all forms of religious persecution and intolerance targeting Kashmiris,” said the statement.
In November, United Nations experts sounded the alarm over “serious human rights violations” in Indian-occupied Kashmir by the Indian government, issuing the warning in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack.
