ISLAMABAD — Pakistan strongly condemned the shameful acquittal of the accused responsible for demolishing Babri Masjid in India and asked the United Nations to designate an international day to combat Islamophobia Pakistan strongly condemns Wednesday’s acquittal of the accused responsible for demolishing the centuries-old Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India, in 1992, a statement said. Taking almost three decades to decide on the criminal act which was televised live and happened as a result of well-planned and instigation of the accused BJP, VHP and other leaders of Sangh Parivar, tells the world that the Indian judiciary has miserably failed to deliver justice again. If there was a semblance of justice in the so-called largest ‘democracy’, the individuals, who had boasted of the criminal act publicly, could not have been set free. Pakistan urges the Indian government to ensure the safety, security, and protection of minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship and other Islamic sites. The world community, the United Nations, and relevant international organizations are expected to play their role in safeguarding the Islamic heritage sites in India from the extremist Hindutva regime and ensure the protection of religious rights of minorities in India. Earlier, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi participated at the Group of Friends of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) virtual meeting commemorating its 15th anniversary and co-hosted by Spain and Turkey. During his address, the foreign minister highlighted the disturbing rise in Islamophobia, evident in the manifestos of far-right and neo-fascist parties, the politicization and censorship of the hijab, cow vigilantism, burning of the Holy Qur’an, deliberate vandalizing of Islamic symbols and holy sites, and attempts at incitement through the publication of vicious caricatures. He urged the international community to build bridges and respect each other’s religions and beliefs. The foreign minister reiterated the call made by Prime Minister Imran Khan to outlaw willful provocation and incitement to hate and violence universally and to designate an International Day to Combat Islamophobia. — Agencies