Pakistan rejects India’s ‘mischievous spin’ of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib incident

Pakistan on Thursday rejected India’s “mischievous spin” to an “isolated incident involving an individual at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib”.

The Foreign Office spokesperson said that a senior Indian diplomat was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was conveyed Pakistan’s categorical rejection of the mischievous spin given by India to an isolated incident involving an individual at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

“It was conveyed to the Indian diplomat that the incident was swiftly addressed and clarified. The Government of Pakistan accords the highest primacy to the rights of the minorities. Sanctity of religious places and revered sites of every community is ensured in Pakistan,” said the statement.

Read more: Pakistani model apologises for controversial pictures at Kartarpur

Pakistan instead asked the Indian diplomat to urge his government to “investigate the incidents of gross and systematic persecution of minorities in India which continue with impunity and state complicity”.

“Given its systematic marginalisation and brutalisation of minorities, India has no locus standi to even feign concern for minorities elsewhere,” said the statement.

Pakistan asked the Indian authorities to focus on “ensuring effective protection of their own minorities and places of worship from repeated instances of desecration, hate crimes and mob lynching”.

India summons Pakistan’s charge d’Affaires

The statement from the Foreign Office came a day after India summoned Pakistani Charge d’Affaires in New Delhi to convey its deep concern over a Pakistani model’s photoshoot at the revered site of Sikhs.

According to The Indian Express, New Delhi told the Pakistani diplomat that it was a “reprehensible” incident and that India it expects Islamabad to “sincerely investigate” the matter and take action against those involved.

Read more: Punjab CM demands report, strict action over Kartarpur photoshoot

The incident being referred by both the countries is of model Sauleha Imtiaz.

The model was under fire after her bareheaded photos at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.

Sauleha has now deleted the photos and issued an apology on her Instagram account.