The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday urged External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to seek a categorical assurance from Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on the safety of assets and the lives of minorities.
A delegation led by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal also asked the Minister to tell Pakistan that all those responsible for the hate attack on Sikhs and stoning of Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib were arrested and punished.
The SAD president briefed the Minister about the grim situation saying even those looking after the gurdwaras were not safe. He urged urgent intervention at the highest level. “If anybody can attack Gurdwara Janam Asthan then no minority is safe in Pakistan,” he said in a statement.
The delegation also pointed out that the Pakistan government should be asked to take prompt and exemplary action in case any minority community is targeted in any manner. “Had the government acted decisively in the case of the attack on the Sikh community members at Gurdwara Janam Asthan and stoning of the gurdwara, it would not have set off the chain reaction which led to the killing of the Sikh youth in Peshawar,” he said.
The delegation members also conveyed to Dr. Jaishankar that the recent events in Pakistan had hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community worldwide. “Sikhs living in Pakistan had already said they were feeling insecure. Even our holiest shrine is not safe. In such a situation Pakistan should be asked to take concrete steps to ensure the safety and security of the Sikh community as well as all other minorities living in Pakistan”, he said.
