Following three nights of a Muslim vigil against plans for a road-widening project linked to preparations for a major Hindu pilgrimage, authorities surrounded the masjid with bulldozers. Police used tear gas and batons against the resisting Muslims, and arrested many. Muslims were forced to begin dismantling parts of the masjid themselves, whilst the authorities caused the collapse of the minaret, but blamed faulty machinery.

On 6 September 2026, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan condemned the demolition of the century-old masjid in Saharanpur, India, on 5 September, saying, “Pakistan calls upon the international community to take immediate cognizance of the systematic persecution of Muslims.”

 “India’s Ministry of External Affairs strongly condemned Pakistan’s violent crackdown on protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Tuesday, calling upon the international community to hold the country accountable for the “gross violation of human rights”.

Pakistani military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, criticizing Afghanistan’s rapprochement with India, stated that New Delhi is using Afghan territory as a "base for terrorist operations"...