Minorities have been facing persecution in Pakistan ever since the country was formed in 1947. Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, all communities have been facing oppression in the country for decades. Now, in the latest incident, a 125-year-old Gurudwara has been demolished in the Islamic country.
In Punjab province’s Farooqabad, the 125-year-old historic Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib was demolished by a local businessman, sparking protests from the minority Sikh community.
India has reacted strongly to this act and has strongly condemned the demolition of the Gurdwara. In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal urged Islamabad to investigate the incident and restore the damaged portions of the religious structure.Â
Jaiswal said, “We have seen the deeply distressing 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 deplorable and targeted act of vandalism against a revered Sikh shrine. Its destruction, along with reports of no meaningful action being taken by local authorities or the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), is a matter of grave concern.”
This is not a surprising incident in Pakistan, where temples and gurudwaras have been routinely targeted. India has raised the issue of poor treatment of minorities repeatedly but till now, Pakistan authorities have refused to take any action to protect minorities and their religious sites.
