India strongly rejected Pakistan’s remarks calling Ram Mandir flag-hoisting ‘Islamophobia’ and ‘heritage desecration’. MEA said Pak had no moral standing to comment, citing its poor record on minority rights, asking it to focus on its failures.
India on Wednesday strongly rejected Pakistan’s criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flag-hoisting ceremony at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, calling Islamabad’s remarks baseless, misleading and filled with hypocrisy. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Pakistan had ‘no moral standing’ to comment on India’s internal matters.
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India rejects Pakistan’s remarks
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal issued a sharp response after Pakistan claimed that the flag-hoisting was an example of ‘Islamophobia’ and ‘heritage desecration’. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had tried to link the ceremony to the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid.
Jaiswal said India ‘rejects the remarks with the contempt they deserve’. He added that Pakistan’s record on minorities is ‘deeply stained with bigotry, repression, and systemic mistreatment’.
He stressed that a country with such a poor human rights record had no right to lecture anyone else.
Pakistan’s official statement and its strong rebuttal
On Tuesday, Pakistan issued an official statement targeting the Indian government, the judiciary, and India’s treatment of minorities. It also claimed that the ceremony reflected a pattern of ‘pressure on religious minorities’ in India and called for global attention from the international community and the United Nations. Pakistan also accused India of showing a ‘discriminatory approach’, repeating its long-standing allegations without any evidence.
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India dismissed the statement as another ‘unsubstantiated rant’ from Pakistan.
MEA asks Pakistan to focus on its own failures
Jaiswal said Pakistan should ‘turn its gaze inwards’ instead of making unnecessary and inaccurate statements about India. He urged Pakistan to address its own ‘abysmal human rights record’ first. The MEA spokesperson said Pakistan’s views were ‘uninvited and unwanted’, and that they were an attempt to interfere in India’s internal issues.
Flag-hoisting marks major moment for Ram Mandir
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted a sacred saffron flag atop the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Tuesday. The event was part of the Dhwajarohan ceremony, held more than a year after the temple’s consecration in January 2024.
The ceremony marked the formal completion of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple. Thousands of devotees and leaders took part in the celebrations.
Pakistan tried to use the event to make political statements, but India said such comments had “no basis” and only exposed Pakistan’s own hypocrisy.
Saffron flag hoisting at Ram Temple
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted a saffron flag on the shikhar of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, marking the completion of the temple’s construction. Calling it an emotional moment, he said the ceremony symbolised a new chapter in India’s cultural pride. He prayed that the flag would guide India towards justice, good governance, and prosperity.
Addressing a gathering, PM Modi said the Dharma Dhwaja was more than a flag – it represented truth, discipline, struggle, and India’s civilisational renaissance. He said centuries of wounds were healing and centuries of resolve were being fulfilled. The Prime Minister added that the flag would inspire duty, equality, freedom from suffering, and the building of a society with no poverty or helplessness.
Call to free India from ‘Mental Slavery’
PM Modi urged citizens to remove the ‘mentality of slavery’ that began during British rule. He said India had long-standing democratic traditions, but colonial influence created inferiority and distorted the understanding of India’s own heritage. He noted how symbols of slavery, such as the old Indian Navy flag, have now been replaced with symbols reflecting India’s culture and strength.
The Prime Minister said Ayodhya is becoming a blend of tradition and modernity, similar to how it guided humanity in ancient times. He explained that India has grown from the world’s 11th largest economy to the fifth in just 11 years, and could soon become the third. He said Lord Ram’s ideals, truth, courage, discipline, compassion, must guide India as it moves towards becoming a developed nation by 2047.
(With ANI inputs)