In another case of Sikhs facing harassment in Pakistan, unidentified miscreants allegedly barged in a Gurdwara located in the city of Sukkur in the country's Sindh province, used abusive language in the premises and forced Sikh devotees to stop their religious prayers (kirtan).
In a video shared by Indian World Forum President Puneet Singh Chadhok, it was alleged that some miscreants had barged in the Gurdwara and desecrated the sanctity of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the religious scripture of Sikhism.
He also shared a letter written to authorities asking them to take action and alleged that the devotees were threatened with death if they didn't stop their prayers. Furthermore, the people responsible for the incident were reportedly released from police custody without any due investigation.
"I was singing kirtan when, all of a sudden, the sound of the loudspeaker was reduced. There was chaos in the Gurdwara. I was told that some people were forced to stop singing kirtans," said one of the kirtan performers, Ajay Singh, in the video.
"Our ancestors have been praying in this gurdwara for the past 100 years. We never caused any discomfort to anyone. Is this how minorities are treated in Pakistan?" he added.
Chadhok requested the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of External Affairs of India to intervene in the matter.
Additionally, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kisan Morcha national secretary Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal, in a tweet, alleged that the Pakistan police had refused to file any case against the accused, who were protected by the local administration.
Grewal also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and BJP chief JP Nadda to extend support to Sikhs in Pakistan.
Attacks against Sikh community in Pakistan
There have been a spade of attacks against members of the Sikh community in Pakistan. On June 24, a Sikh community member was shot dead after unidentified armed men opened fire at the 34-year-old Manmohan Singh, who died due to his injuries.
Earlier on June 23, another Sikh man was shot and injured in the Dabgari area of the provincial capital. The victim was identified as Tarlug Singh son of Makhan Singh was shot in the leg by unidentified armed men in Dabgari.
In May, assailants gunned down Sardar Singh in a drive-by shooting in the eastern city of Lahore. Singh, 63, received a fatal gunshot to the head
The attacks led to India summoning a senior diplomat of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and lodging a strong protest against these incidents in the neighbouring country, early this week.
“India has demanded that Pakistani authorities investigate these violent attacks on the Sikh community with sincerity, and share the investigation reports,” said sources. “It has also been conveyed that Pakistan should ensure the safety and security of its minorities, who live in constant fear of religious persecution," the source added.
(with ANI inputs)
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