The Indian government has rejected Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's remarks about the demolition of historic Muslim sites in India, calling them a "deliberate political attack" driven by bigotry and hatred.
Zardari had expressed concern over the demolitions and threats to historic Muslim religious sites in India, including the 1,000-year-old Masjid Ganj Shaheeda in Varanasi.
India's external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded by saying that India "categorically rejects the unwarranted comments made by the President of Pakistan".
Jaiswal pointed out that Pakistan's own record on human rights is "abysmal" and that the country has a "long history of systematically targeting and victimising minorities across various faiths".
