Islamabad on Wednesday slammed controversial comments by British Home Secretary Suella Braverman accusing British-Pakistani men of involvement in widespread sexual exploitation of women and children, calling them "discriminatory and xenophobic".
Braverman, who is of Indian descent, has been repeatedly criticised for her anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant stances and statements.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told a news conference that "Braverman's remarks paint a very misleading picture and indicate an intention to target British-Pakistanis and treat them differently."
The Pakistani official confirmed that the British Home Secretary had wrongly described the criminal behaviour of some individuals as representing the entire community.
In an interview with Sky News earlier this week about plans to tackle child sexual abuse, the Home Secretary claimed that there was a "predominance in these crimes of British-Pakistani males who hold cultural values that are diametrically opposed to British values".
Britain's home secretary's comments drew a barrage of criticism from political commentators and children's charities, who described her comments as "inflammatory" and amounted to starting "race wars".