India Rejects Pakistan's Criticism Over Ram Temple Saffron Flag Ceremony in Ayodhya

New Delhi:

India responded forcefully on Wednesday to Pakistan's criticism regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ceremonial raising of a saffron flag at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, "We have seen the reported remarks and reject them with the contempt they deserve. As a country with a deeply stained record of bigotry, repression, and systemic mistreatment of its minorities, Pakistan has no moral standing to lecture others. Rather than delivering hypocritical homilies, Pakistan would do better to turn its gaze inwards and focus on its own abysmal human rights record."

Pakistan had criticized the raising of the saffron flag, characterizing it as an attempt to increase pressure on minority communities in India and erase Muslim heritage. This referenced the fact that the Ram Temple was constructed at the site where the 16th century Babri Masjid once stood.

The mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992, by a right-wing Hindu mob.

In 2019, the Supreme Court resolved the prolonged legal challenge regarding the demolition, ruling in favor of the Hindu plaintiffs.

One year later in 2020, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the Ram Temple, and four years after that, he presided over its consecration during a grand ceremony.

On Tuesday, Modi hoisted a 22-foot saffron-colored religious flag and led rituals conducted by 108 priests from across the country, under the guidance of renowned scholar Ganeshwar Shastri.

In his address to the gathering, he declared that a "500-year-old resolve" had been fulfilled. "Ayodhya is witnessing another epochal event in its history... The country and globe are immersed in Ram."

The right-angled triangular saffron flag displays the symbol of the Sun, representing eternal energy, divine radiance, virtue, enlightenment, and other qualities associated with Ram.