India on Friday demanded that Bangladesh should take firm action against the ‘disturbing pattern of recurring attacks’ on minorities in its country.
The Ministry of External Affairs’ (MEA) sharp reaction came in the wake of several attacks on minorities, especially Hindus in the neighbouring country, that came to light of late.
The MEA said India continues to keep an eye on the situation in the neighbouring nation. “We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities, as well as their homes and establishments, business establishments by extremists in Bangladesh. Such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, addressing his weekly media briefing in New Delhi.
“We have also observed a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, personal vendettas, political differences, and other extraneous reasons. Such disregard only emboldens the extremists and the perpetrators of such crimes and deepens the sense of fear and insecurity among the minorities,” Jaiswal said.
Responding to a question on flight connections between Bangladesh and Pakistan, the MEA spokesperson said, “We have seen reports about flight connections between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Such issues will be dealt with as per the Air Services Agreement that we have with Bangladesh.”
During the media briefing, the MEA slammed Pakistan over its charge that efforts were being made to erase Muslim heritage in India. Jaiswal said Pakistan should look at the situation of minorities in their own country before making remarks about others.
When asked about Pakistan Foreign Office (PFO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi’s recent remarks regarding a demolition drive in New Delhi, the MEA spokesperson said, “I need not elaborate or tell you what is the situation of minorities in that country and those people who make such comments should first look at their record before commenting on others.”
Andrabi’s remarks were made after a demolition drive was conducted near Faiz-e-Elahi Mosque in the Turkman Gate area of Delhi to remove illegal encroachments.
According to officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the drive was conducted to clear unauthorised structures from the land adjoining the mosque and nearby areas, in compliance with directions issued by the Delhi High Court.