Pakistan summons Indian envoy to protest 'fabricated' allegations about Sikh community

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday summoned the Indian Charge d’Affaires to convey its "strong rejection of baseless and fabricated Indian allegations concerning the Sikh community", according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). 

On Friday, dozens of demonstrators had protested over alleged unjust treatment of police in a local dispute in Nankana Sahib, which Indian media portrayed as a communal issue.

Pakistan strongly protested the Indian government's "motivated and mischievous allegations" relating to the 'attack' and 'desecration' of the holy Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and “targeted killing” of a Pakistani Sikh youth in Peshawar.

The statement said that the allegations were "desperate attempts" on part of the Indian government to divert the attention from the atrocities it was committing in occupied Kashmir. 

"The DG (SA&SAARC) underscored that the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees equal rights to all its citizens and the Government is committed to protecting the rights of minorities, with zero-tolerance against any discrimination," read the statement. 

Pakistan called on India to refrain from pointing fingers at it and instead ensure "effective protection of its own minorities" and their places of worship from "repeated instances of desecration, hate crimes and mob lynchings."

Nankana Sahib incident

Angry protesters had last week gotten into a scuffle with the police over the arrest of some unidentified individuals in a case involving the marriage of a young couple. The protesters had dispersed after negotiations with the government who assured them of justice.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Dr Noor-ul-Haq Qadri said the protest was staged by the family and neighbours of a young man who had married a few months ago. The protesters claimed that police had raided the man's house, arresting him and a few others.

However, PTI's local leader, Shahzad Khalid, spoke to the protesters, assuring them that justice would be provided, after which they dispersed. Interior Minister Brigadier (retd) Ijaz Ahmed Shah had later said that the situation in Nankana Sahib was normal. 

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday had condemned the Nankana incident and said it was different from the state-sponsored oppression of minorities in India.

The prime minister, in a series of tweets, said that the Nankana incident was “against his vision and will find zero tolerance and protection from the government including police and judiciary”.

“The ongoing attacks across India on Muslims and other minorities is this: the former is against my vision and will find zero tolerance and protection from the government including police and judiciary,” PM Imran tweeted.

The main culprit accused of orchestrating the demonstration near the Sikh holy site in the small town of Nankana Sahib in Punjab was arrested late on Sunday for his role in the affair, according to a representative of the provincial government. 

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