The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday summoned the Pakistani envoy and sought action against those involved in the model photoshoot of clothing apparel at the Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan.
"Pakistani Charge d’Affaires was summoned today to convey our deep concern at the incident of desecration of the sanctity of Gurudwara Shri Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur by a Pakistani model and a clothing brand.", MEA said in a statement.
In pictures shared on social media, a model can be seen posing for an advertisement for a women's clothing brand at the gurdwara in Punjab province of Pakistan.
"This reprehensible incident has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community in India and worldwide. Such continued incidents of desecration and disrespect of places of religious worship of the minority communities in Pakistan highlight the lack of respect for the faith of these communities.", the MEA said citing the photoshoot incident.
Earlier, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee wrote to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, demanding him to take up with the Pakistan government the issue of a business promotion agency using the premises of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib for promotion of women apparel.
“We urge the Government of India to immediately take up this serious issue with the Pakistan government considering the sentiments of the community,” DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa wrote in the letter.
“A Pakistani business promotion agency used the premises of historical Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib, Pakistan, for promotion of ladies clothes.
This act of agency/model has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community worldwide.
It is unfortunate that the local administration allowed an agency to use the religious place of worship for such promotions (sic),” the letter read.
Sirsa said many complaints have been received from the Sikh Sangat regarding people using the gurdwara premises as a “picnic spot or to shoot TikTok videos wearing indecent clothes which hurts our sentiments”.
“This behavior is totally unacceptable ...We demand strict action against those who disrespect the sanctity of gurdwara sahibs; just like the Pakistan government acted against actress Saba Qamar for shooting a dance video in a historical mosque,” the letter added.
(With PTI Inputs)
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