‘Small family’ trying to disrupt Muslim-Sikh harmony, says Pakistan Sikh body chief

"The Pakistan government has done much to enhance Muslim-Sikh bhaichara (brotherhood) in the recent past. Maybe some people are unhappy with it" - PSGPC chief on demonstration at Nankana Sahib gurdwara

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PSGPC president Satwant Singh making an appeal to Pakistan government at Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib following a mob demonstration in front of the gurdwara on 3 Jan 2020 – Photo: Screengrab from Facebook video
By Asia Samachar Team | PAKISTAN |

The mob demonstration at the main Nankana Sahib gurdwara yesterday was an attempt by a ‘small family’ to disrupt the growing Muslim-Sikh harmony in the nation, especially in the aftermath of the major 550th celebration of Guru Nanak towards the end of last year.

The family had also attempted to use an existing contentious conversion issue of a Sikh girl as an ‘excuse’ to create a spark.

“The issue was fronted by a small family,” Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Satwant Singh told Asia Samachar in a telephone conversation.

“The Pakistan government has done much to enhance Muslim-Sikh bhaichara (brotherhood) in the recent past. Maybe some people are unhappy with it.”

When asked, Satwant said the family did not have any political or madrasah connections.

In a video released on his personal Facebook page, Satwant, who took the help of PSGPC in July 2019, had appealed to the Pakistan government to take stern action on the perpetrators of the Friday demonstration and ensure the safety of Sikhs nationwide.

In the incident, a scores of charged protesters staged a sit-in outside Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, also known as the Gurdwara Janam Asthan, after the Muslim Friday prayers.

They were led by the family of a man, Ehsan, who was accused of forcibly converting a Sikh woman, Jagjit Kaur, earlier this year, reported Pakistani newspaper The Dawn.

“We will replace the gurdwara with a masjid,” says the demonstrator, pointing towards Gurdwara Janam Asthan – Photo: Screengrab from video clip widely circulated on the social media

In video clips circulated after the Friday demonstration, the lead demonstrator, going by the Facebook handle of ‘Imranchishti Baba’, threatened to build a mosque in the place of the current gurdwara.

 

RELATED STORY:

Nankana Sahib under control after mob demonstration (Asia Samachar, 4 Jan 2019)

 

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1 COMMENT

  1. So sad to see the condition of our Panth today. In every country we are in we have to beg others to safe guard us and our families. Just a few centuries ago others used to come to us for safety and protection.How far have we fallen as we collectively have abandoned Sikhi and some are even trying to change Sikhi to either fit their liberal atheist agenda or on the other side to bring us back into the folds of hindutva.
    My prayers with the Sikhs of Pakistan.
    This is a wake up call to us Malaysian Sikhs who have been sleeping or drunk with alcohol for too long already.If this happens to us what are we going to do about it?Do we too have to go around begging others or are we going to try to take care of our problems and create protection for ourselves?

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