India on Friday said reported remarks by Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir targeting the Shia community are not an isolated episode but part of a broader pattern of “systemic victimisation of minorities” in Pakistan.Responding to media queries, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi had taken note of the reports and described the incident as reflective of long-standing structural discrimination.“Such comments are not isolated incidents but are part of Pakistan’s systemic victimisation of minorities, including the Shia minority in that country,” Jaiswal said.He added that the “shrinking numbers of minorities in Pakistan reflect decades of fear, marginalisation, oppression and neglect” and pointed to what he termed an “abysmal” human rights record.The reaction comes amid controversy over Munir’s reported remarks to Shia clerics, where he is said to have told those sympathetic to Iran to “go to Iran”, triggering strong backlash from sections of the Shia community.The episode has unfolded against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions following the ongoing conflict involving Iran, sharpening sectarian sensitivities within Pakistan, which has a significant Shia population.Analysts say the incident underscores Islamabad’s delicate balancing act between regional geopolitical alignments and domestic fault lines, even as minority groups continue to raise concerns over discrimination and security.India has, in recent years, repeatedly flagged the issue of minority rights in Pakistan at international forums, maintaining that the situation reflects entrenched institutional bias rather than isolated excesses.