Muslim MPs of UP urge the government to refrain from targeted action on heritage buildings

Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari. File | Photo credit: PTI

Muslim Members of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh on Sunday (Jun 21, 2026) said the state apparatus should refrain from discriminatory demolitions of historical and heritage structures as it was not only a violation of religious and cultural rights but also provided unnecessary opportunities to external adversaries to talk about India’s internal affairs. Lawmakers questioned Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s comment on threats to the historic 1,000-year-old Ganj Shaheed masjid in Varanasi, adding that the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh is capable enough to express its interest in protecting historical sites within India’s strong democratic framework and need not take lessons from Pakistan’s leader.

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Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari said that in Uttar Pradesh, the government has at times taken unilateral action against Muslim-related heritage structures due to claims of encroachment. It was an attempt to violate religious and cultural rights. Unfortunately, it gave an opportunity to external enemies to hold lectures on minority rights in India and raise issues at the international level, giving a new salvo to their divisive agenda. “I condemn the statement of the President of Pakistan in the strongest terms. Muslims of India do not need any lessons from the President of Pakistan. We live peacefully, enjoying constitutional rights in our home India. The Muslim community in the state of Uttar Pradesh is capable enough to express its concern for the protection of historical sites in the strong democratic framework of India through an independent judiciary and system of governance,” he said. Muslims in India lived in far better conditions than people in Pakistan, Mr. Ansari added.

On June 20, the President of Pakistan’s post on X read: “President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep concern over the demolitions and threats to historic Muslim religious sites in India, including the 1,000-year-old Ganj Shaheed Mosque in Varanasi. He asked India to immediately stop such actions, warning that they risked leading to the immediate breakdown of such protections and India’s permanent chaos. minority rights and shared cultural heritage,”.

Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha member Javed Ali Khan said, “Foreign countries or heads of state have no right to speak on India’s internal affairs. We are a sovereign democratic country. The Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh can deal with any grievance within the constitutional and democratic system. We don’t need to ask for suggestions from others, but we as a country must push for any form of help to our domestic will.”

Congress national secretary Shahnawaz Alam said, “The government’s action helps Pakistan build a narrative of religious freedom and democratic rights against India. We should follow the ideas enshrined in the constitution in letter and spirit, such as cultural rights, right to freedom of religion and effectively building a secular, pluralistic society.”

Published – 21 Jun 2026 22:08 IST