New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on September 13 hit back at Pakistan
President Gen Pervez Musharraf over his address to United Nations saying had Hindus
been "extremists" as alleged by him, Pakistan would have been wiped out from the
world map.
"Pakistani terrorism and not Hindu extremism was responsible for the violence in
Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir. If India's Hindus were extremists or terrorists,
Pakistan would not have existed on the world map," party general secretary and
spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.
Using communal violence in Gujarat to mount a vitriolic attack on India, Musharraf
had on September 12 asked the world community to oppose "Hindu extremism" like it
fought terrorism, religious bigotry and ethnic cleansing elsewhere.
"Indian Muslims face the gravest danger from Pakistan and its terrorist activities.
Instead of talking about minorities in India, Musharraf would do well to tell the
world about the miserable plight of minorities in his country and the atrocities
perpetrated on them by the Pakistani armed forces,"
Naqvi said.
"Minorities in India enjoy more religious, political, social and Democratic freedom
than in any Islamic country. Pakistan and the world should realise that India is the
largest secular Democracy in the world because the majority
Hindus are peace-loving, secular and liberal," he said.
Naqvi said Musharraf's speech was an "insult" to all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and
Christians. "His statement not only shows his frustration but also goes against the
spirit of United Nations, for which he should apologise."
PTI
