Kathmandu: Pakistan has objected to the idea of Akhand Bharat being pedaled by ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in India. Commenting on the recent move by India to install the Akhanda Bharat mural in the new parliament building in New Delhi, the Spokesperson of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: “We are appalled by the statements made by some BJP politicians including a Union Minister, linking the mural with ‘Akhand Bharat’ (Unified greater India).” “The gratuitous assertion of ‘Akhand Bharat’ is a manifestation of a revisionist and expansionist mindset that seeks to subjugate the identity and culture of not only India’s neighboring countries but also its own religious minorities,” said Baloch.
The mural depicts ‘ancient India,’ including areas that now constitute parts of Pakistan and other regional countries including Nepal. “It is a matter of grave concern that the idea of Akhand Bharat is being increasingly peddled by individuals belonging to the ruling dispensation in India. The Indian politicians are well advised not to indulge in rhetoric against other countries merely to further their divisive and parochial political agenda,” said the Pakistani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson.
“Instead of nurturing hegemonic and expansionist ambitions, India should resolve disputes with its neighbors and work with them to build a peaceful and prosperous South Asia.”
Akhand Bharat mural has triggered some angry reactions among some political parties in Nepal. On Friday, students affiliated to Rastriya Prajatantra Party staged protests in front of the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. The youth wing of the RPP has submitted memorandum to the Home Minister drawing attention of the government toward incorporation of Lumbini and Kapilvastu in Akhand Bharat mural. The Rastirya Swatantra Party has also demanded that the government should raise this matter during Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to India.
Neither the government nor the parties in the government have issued their official statements about the matter so far.
[Related: Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai questions Indian intention behind ‘Akhand Bharat’ mural]
Comment