Pakistan condemns ‘illegal’ sealing of girls’ school in Indian-administered Kashmir

Students walk towards the school in Srinagar on March 2, 2022. (AFP/File)

• Reported sealing follows ban last month in Karnataka on wearing religious attire which sparked protests by Muslims
• Pakistan says denying Muslim girls access to education a “new low” for far-right government of PM Modi and BJP party

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has condemned what it calls the “illegal” sealing off of an educational institute by Indian security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir, the foreign office said.
The reported sealing of the school follows a ban last month in Karnataka on wearing religious attire which sparked protests by Muslim students and parents, and counter-protests by Hindu students, forcing authorities to close schools there. 
“Pakistan strongly condemns the reported shutting down of Darul Uloom Khadija tul Kubra,” the foreign office said, saying India forces gate-crashed the educational institute on Friday, insulted and maltreated tfemale students and forcefully evicted them before sealing the building. 
Pakistan said the incident was a fresh reflection of Indian forces “trampling on and making a mockery of the fundamental rights of Kashmiri girls seeking education.”
“It also points toward growing Islamophobia,” the statement said. 
Pakistan said denying Muslim girls access to education was a “new low” for the far-right government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP party.
“Pakistan also calls upon the international community, including the United Nations and OIC, especially their human rights machinery, to take immediate notice of the worrying level of Islamophobia in India and prevail upon Indian authorities to prevent systematic human rights violations against minorities particularly Muslims in the country,” the foreign office said.
Modi denies his government targets Muslims or their practices.