‘Very deplorable and targeted act of vandalism’: India slams Pakistan for demolishing 125-year-old Gurudwara | Today’s news
Days after part of a 125-year-old Gurudwara in Pakistan’s Farooqabad was demolished, India on Wednesday strongly condemned the demolition, calling it a “very deplorable and targeted act of vandalism”.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Delhi was concerned by reports of the demolition of Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib.
In a statement, Jaiswal said, “We have seen deeply disturbing reports regarding the demolition of the historic 125-year-old sacred Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Farooqabad, Pakistan. We strongly condemn this highly regrettable and targeted act of vandalism against a revered Sikh shrine worshiped by the authorities. (ETPB) is of grave concern.
India asks Pakistan to restore the destroyed parts of the Gurudwara
Jaiswal said, “Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident as we have also seen similar reports earlier. Systematic targeting of religious minorities and their places of worship continues in Pakistan.”
New Delhi called on the Pakistani government to conduct a thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice. “We call on the Government of Pakistan to urgently investigate this matter and bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice.”
The MEA also first sought to restore and reconstruct the destroyed parts of Gurudwara Sahib.
Jaiswal added that India urged the Pakistani government to fulfill its commitments to ensure the safety and security of minority communities and protect their religious sites.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee seeks MEA’s intervention
Earlier on Wednesday, a delegation of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) met MEA officials and sought intervention over the reported demolition of parts of the 125-year-old Gurudwara in Pakistan, PTI reported.
The DSGMC delegation also handed over a memorandum to the MEA officials and urged the government to ensure that no further damage is caused to the Gurudwara in Farooqabad.
In a statement, the DSGMC said: “We also request the Government of India to lodge a strong diplomatic protest with the Government of Pakistan and express the serious concern of the Sikh community over the repeated unfortunate incidents and stress the need to ensure the religious freedoms of the minority communities.”
Here is what happened
A local businessman in Pakistan’s Punjab province destroyed the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib, a move that sparked protests from the minority Sikh community, PTI reported, citing officials.
An official said, “The shopkeeper demolished the gurdwara without obtaining the required no-objection certificate (NOC) from the concerned department. The department did not notice this until the Sikhs of the area protested.”
Following the protests, Punjab Minister for Minorities Ramesh Singh Arora visited the Gurdwara on Wednesday and announced its immediate restoration. Arora told the media that as per the original information shared by the Auqaf department, parts of the Gurudwara were destroyed without obtaining NOC from the concerned department.
Arora added that restoration work would begin immediately and reiterated the government’s commitment to preserve the province’s historic religious sites and protect places of worship for minority communities.
