India on Saturday rejected Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's statement on Kashmir. He said that he has no right to comment on the internal affairs of the country. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "India completely rejects the unnecessary statements made by the President of Pakistan. Anyway, he has no right to comment on India's internal affairs."
Randhir Jaiswal said, “These things seem even more absurd especially when we look at Pakistan's very poor record in terms of human rights, which has been a topic of discussion around the world.” He said that Pakistan “has a long, well-known history of systematically targeting and persecuting minorities of different religions.” "Given this reality, the President's statement can only be considered a deliberate political attack, inspired by Pakistan's nationalistic policies of bigotry and hatred," he said.
Zardari had given a statement regarding the legal notice issued by the Indian Railways to the Ganj Shaheeda Mosque located near the main entry gate of Kashi Railway Station in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The authorities had ordered to vacate the premises by June 20 as part of the anti-encroachment drive related to the redevelopment and expansion of Kashi Railway Station. Responding to this development, Zardari talked about the rights of minorities and protection of shared cultural heritage.
However, rejecting the comments of the Pakistani President, India said that it completely rejects the words of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. India said that Pakistan has a long history of systematically targeting and persecuting minorities of different religions and is quite famous for it.
