New Delhi/Islamabad: Amid anger and widespread protests over the attack on the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, in Pakistan, Union Minister Giriraj Singh Shandilya on Saturday targeted Congress party and its leader Navjot Singh Sidhu and questioned their silence over the incident.
Singh, the veteran BJP politician from Bihar, took to Twitter and tweeted, ”There was an attack on Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan and, here in India, protests are taking place against giving citizenship to those who have faced religious persecution in that country. Where is Rahul’s (Gandhi) Pakistan brand ambassador Sidhu? Why are the Tukde-Tukde gang and the opposition silent? Why should PM Modi not listen to the victims’? Shouldn’t they be denied citizenship?”
Along with his tweet, Singh also posted a viral video of the incident on Twitter.
The critical remarks from the Union Minister came after thousands of Sikhs across the country protested against the shameful incident. Minutes later, Congress party’s national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala issued a statement condemning the shameful incident and blamed the Pakistan government for it.
Sikh outfits will also protest outside the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi to condemn the attack on Nankana Saheb Gurdwara.
Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise the issue with his counterpart in Islamabad Imran Khan since Sikh minorities in the country were feeling extremely unsafe and insecure.
On Friday, the Gurdwara was attacked by a violent Muslim mob while Sikh devotees were stuck inside the shrine. The mob that had gathered outside raised communal and hateful slogans against the minority community and pelted stones on the shrine, videos circulated on social media showed.
Pakistani sources said the mob was led by the family of Mohammed Hassan, the man who had abducted and converted a sick girl Jagjit Kaur, to protest police action against him.
The Nankana Saheb attack is violative of the 1955 Pant-Mirza Agreement under which India and Pakistan are obliged “to make every effort to ensure that the places of worship” visited by members of their countries “are properly maintained and their sanctity preserved.”
In a late-night media briefing, Pakistan`s Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee President Satpal Singh on behalf of the Sikh community asked the government to act against the hooligans to restore peace.
In an official statement, the government strongly condemned the destruction and desecration of the holy shrine. India has called upon Pakistan to take immediate steps to ensure safety security and welfare of the Sikh community.
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