New Delhi: In the wake of reports that the historic Nankana Sahib Gurdwara and Sikh pilgrims visiting it were targeted by a stone-pelting Pakistani mob in Pakistani Punjab, India on Friday lashed out at the “vandalism” there and “strongly condemned these wanton acts of destruction and desecration of the holy place”. India asked Pakistan “to take immediate steps to ensure the safety, security, and welfare of the members of the Sikh community,” to take “strong action against the miscreants who indulged in desecration of the holy Gurdwara and attacked members of the minority Sikh community” and also “to take all measures to protect and preserve the sanctity of the holy Nankana Sahib Gurdwara and its surroundings”. New Delhi said these “reprehensible actions followed the forcible abduction and conversion of Jagjit Kaur, the Sikh girl who was kidnapped from her home in the city of Nankana Sahib in August last year”. According to news agency reports from Chandigarh, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh appealed to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure that the devotees stranded at the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara were rescued from the mob.
The Gurdwara in Pakistani Punjab is especially revered as Nankana Sahib is the birthplace of Guru Nanak.
According to some media reports, the violent mob was led by the members of the Muslim family that had abducted the Sikh girl in September last year. Following tremendous pressure, the girl was returned to her family soon after the reported intervention then by the Pakistan Government.
In a statement on Friday, the MEA said, “We are concerned at the vandalism carried out at the revered Nankana Sahib Gurudwara today. Members of the minority Sikh community have been subjected to acts of violence in the holy city of Nankana Sahib.”
The MEA added, “India strongly condemns these wanton acts of destruction and desecration of the holy place. We call upon the Government of Pakistan to take immediate steps to ensure the safety, security, and welfare of the members of the Sikh community. Strong action must be taken against the miscreants who indulged in desecration of the holy Gurudwara and attacked members of the minority Sikh community. In addition, Government of Pakistan is enjoined to take all measures to protect and preserve the sanctity of the holy Nankana Sahib Gurudwara and its surroundings.’
