ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday rejected India’s statement about a Hindu temple in Ada Siraj, Narowal, saying torrential rains damaged the site on July 21 and accusing New Delhi of exploiting the incident for political purposes.
Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs had issued a false and misleading statement about the temple. He said local authorities inspected the site after the heavy rains and have begun rehabilitation work.
Khan said the damage was caused by the severe weather and accused India of deliberately distorting the facts. He described the Indian response as “cheap theatrics” and said such efforts would not shift international attention toward Pakistan.
The Foreign Office spokesperson instead pointed to what Pakistan considers India’s poor record on the treatment of religious minorities and their places of worship.
Khan accused New Delhi of using Hindutva ideology against minority communities and called on the international community to hold Indian authorities accountable for what Islamabad described as the persecution of Muslims, Sikhs and Christians.
He said India should address concerns over its own treatment of minorities rather than making politically motivated allegations against Pakistan.
The dispute adds to a broader pattern of competing accusations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, which have long clashed over religious freedom, minority rights and the situation in Kashmir.
Pakistan maintains that the Narowal temple suffered weather-related damage and that authorities have already taken steps to assess and repair the site.
