New York [US], March 17 (ANI): India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, on Monday (local time) called for a broader global approach to tackling religious discrimination, cautioning against focusing on a single faith while addressing the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

Speaking at an event jointly organised by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), Parvathaneni said India strongly condemns violence and hatred committed in the name of religion and emphasised the country's long tradition of religious coexistence.

'My delegation strongly condemns violence and hatred in the name of religion, regardless of the religion under question,' Parvathaneni said, extending greetings for the holy month of Ramadan while joining UN members in commemorating the observance.

The ambassador highlighted India's religious diversity, noting that the country is home to followers of nearly every major religion and is also the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.

'India, more than any other country, is acutely aware of the need for a world free from religious discrimination,' he said, adding that the philosophy of 'Sarva Dharma Sambhava,' meaning equal respect for all religions, has shaped the secular ethos of the Indian Constitution.

Parvathaneni warned that the politicisation of religion risks deepening divisions rather than resolving grievances. He urged the UN to approach religious intolerance through a universal framework rather than focusing on one specific form.

'History bears repeated witness to how the politicisation of religion does not solve and resolve grievances; however well-intentioned they risk lending legitimacy to precisely this kind of selective, polarising narratives that breed further division,' he said.

The envoy stressed that the United Nations was established to transcend religious and political differences and must maintain its credibility through impartiality.

He pointed to the 1981 UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief as a balanced framework that protects the rights of followers of all faiths.

In a pointed remark, Parvathaneni criticised India's western neighbour, referring to Pakistan without naming it directly, for what he described as fabricating narratives about Islamophobia.

'India's western neighbour is an excellent example of fabricating imaginative tales of Islamophobia in their neighbourhood,' he said.

He questioned how actions such as the repression of the Ahmadiyya community, the alleged refoulement of Afghan refugees, and military operations during Ramadan would be characterised.

'One wonders what would brutal repression of Ahmadiyyas in this country be termed, or the large-scale refoulement of the helpless Afghans or air-bombing campaigns in this Holy Month of Ramadan?' he said.

Parvathaneni emphasised that India is home to more than 200 million Muslims - one of the largest Muslim populations in the world - and said Muslim citizens participate fully in the country's democratic processes.

'The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which our western neighbour has systematically attempted to weaponise against India, has repeatedly made false and baseless allegations against my country,' he added.

'Muslims in India, including those in Jammu and Kashmir, elect their own representatives to speak for them,' he further said.

He argued that narratives portraying India as hostile to Muslims contradict the country's multicultural traditions.

'The only 'phobia' evident here appears to be directed against the multicultural and peaceful coexistence that all communities in India enjoy, including Muslim communities,' he said.

Concluding his statement, the Indian envoy reaffirmed India's commitment to combating religious intolerance globally.

'India reaffirms its commitment to a world free from religious hatred and violence, in all its forms,' he said, urging the UN to focus its efforts on building inclusive societies grounded in equality, dignity, and the rule of law for people of all faiths. (ANI)