New Delhi: A day after Pakistan “condemned” the move to build a Temple dedicated to Lord Rama at the site where the Babri Masjid once stood, New Delhi asked Islamabad to “desist from interfering in India’s affairs and refrain from communal incitement”.

 “We have seen the press statement by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on a matter internal to India. It should desist from interfering in India’s affairs and refrain from communal incitement,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

“While this is not a surprising stance from a nation that practices cross border terrorism and denies its own minorities their religious rights, such comments are nevertheless deeply regrettable,” he added.

Pakistan had criticised the foundation laying of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on the site of the Babri Masjid on Wednesday.

““The flawed judgment of the Indian Supreme Court paving the way for construction of the temple not only reflected the preponderance of faith over justice but also the growing majoritarianism in today's India, where minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship, are increasingly under attack,”” Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

The FO also said the extreme haste in starting the construction of the temple at the Babri Masjid site amidst the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic and several other measures point to the fact how Muslims in India were being "marginalised".