Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: India on Friday sharply criticised Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir over his reported remarks asking Shias to “go to Iran,” calling it part of Islamabad’s “systemic victimisation of minorities.“Reacting to the issue during the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen reports on the issue. Such comments are not isolated incidents but are part of Pakistan’s systemic victimisation of minorities, including the Shia minority in that country. The shrinking numbers of minorities in Pakistan over several decades reflect the kind of fear, persecution, oppression and neglect that they have had to endure at the hands of the Pakistani state.”
“I need not elaborate on the abysmal record of Pakistan when it comes to protection of human rights of its minorities, which is also very well documented,” he added.The remarks come amid heightened tensions following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US–Israel operation earlier this month, which sparked outrage among Shia communities across the Muslim world.In Pakistan, where Shias are a minority, protests over the development turned violent, leaving at least 25 people dead.Against this backdrop, Munir reportedly told Shia clerics that those who “love Iran so much” should “go to Iran” — a comment that drew strong criticism from community leaders, who described it as provocative and offensive.The reported remark came after Munir warned that violence in Pakistan in response to the developments in Iran would not be tolerated.During the meeting, Shia cleric Muhammad Shifa Najafi pushed back against the remarks and urged Munir not to blame the entire community for the actions of a few individuals.
