Ayodhya Verdict: ‘Pakistan’s Lack of Comprehension Not Surprising,’ Says MEA After Comments on SC Ruling

The statement comes hours after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi strongly objected the ruling saying that he was "saddened" by India's "insensitivity".

New Delhi: Following the Supreme Court’s landmark judgement on the decades-old Ayodhya land dispute case, the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday issued a statement slamming Pakistan for its comments on India’s ‘internal matter’.

“We reject the unwarranted & gratuitous comments made by Pakistan on judgement of Supreme Court on a civil matter that is completely internal to India,” said the MEA.

The statement further read that the decision pertains to India’s law that respects all faiths equally, something that is a “lack of comprehension” for Pakistan.

“It (Ayodhya verdict) pertains to rule of law and equal respect for all faiths, concepts that aren’t part of their ethos. So,while Pakistan’s lack of comprehension isn’t surprising, their pathological compulsion to comment on our internal affairs with obvious intent of spreading hatred is condemnable,” the MEA stated.

The statement comes hours after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi strongly objected the ruling saying that he was “saddened” by India’s “insensitivity” for its timing that coincided with the inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor.

“Could it (Ayodhya verdict) not have waited a few days? I am deeply saddened at the insensitivity shown at such a joyous occasion,” Qureshi said, as quoted by a Pakistani broadcaster.

“You should have taken part in this happy occasion and not attempted to divert attention. The dispute is a sensitive issue and should not have been made part of this happy day,” he added.

Moreover, Pakistan’s Science and Technology Minister Kawad Hussain lambasted the Court’s verdict calling it “shameful, disgusting, illegal and immoral”. Further, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan alleged that while Islamabad is guaranteeing the rights of minorities by opening the Kartarpur Corridor, India is subjecting its minorities, including Muslims, to oppression.

The five-member jury led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi, earlier today landed on the historic verdict giving the 2.77-acre land to Hindus, subject to certain conditions, and directed the central government to allot an alternative 5-acre plot for building the mosque to the Sunni Waqf Board. The top court said that the latter was “restitution” for the unlawful demolition of Babri Masjid.

While the verdict was still underway, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the much-anticipated Kartarpur Corridor, that became the gateway for thousands of Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.