Miscreants forcibly stop kirtan at Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Pakistan's Sindh

Sukkur (Pakistan), July 1: In a shocking event, miscreants on Thursday forcibly entered the premises of Singh Sabha Gurdwara located in Sukkur city of Pakistan's Sindh province. As per reports, the mob not only abused the Granthi (priest) and Ragis (devotional singers) but forcibly asked them to stop kirtan (religious devotional songs).

Alarming video from #Hindus & #Sikhs in #Pakistan.Goons entered the Gurdwara in #Sukkur #Sindh,abused the sanctity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib & intimidated the devotees.@GovtofPakistan & @OfficialDGISPR continues to persecute minorities there.@PMOIndia @MEAIndia kindly intervene. pic.twitter.com/e4P2h8xWKe

— Puneet Singh Chandhok (@PSCINDIAN) June 30, 2023

Local Sikhs and Hindus present at the historical Gurdwara at that moment have alleged these miscreants of desecrating Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs. They have also alleged that all the miscreants who were handed over to the police were released without proper investigation and interrogation.

They have also hit out at the police for neither registering an FIR in connection with the incident nor arresting the culprits.

#Sukhar, #Sindh #Pakistan: Now where is the Sikhs for Justice #SFJ #Gurpatwant Singh #Pannun and their supporting #Pakistani agency #ISI all sitting in silence and the #Islamist #extremist youth harass the #minority #Sikh community at Gurdwara Sakhar, Peshawar.
These extremist… pic.twitter.com/hghVR4VIPO — Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal (@sukhgrewalbjp) June 30, 2023

"They forced us to stop singing kirtans. Our ancestors have been praying in this gurdwara for the past 100 years. We never caused any discomfort to anyone. Is this how minorities are treated in Pakistan?", Singh added.

Minorities feeling unsafe in Pakistan

On June 24, a Sikh shopkeeper, Manmohan Singh, was gunned down by armed motorcyclists in the Yakatoot area of Peshawar city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He was the sole breadwinner of his family. He is survived by his wife, a child, elderly parents, a sister, and a disabled brother. 

A day earlier, another Sikh man, Tarlok Singh, was also attacked in Peshawar.

United Sikhs, an NGO, has condemned these attacks on minorities, tweeting from its official handle, "UNITED SIKHS along with other Sikh representatives will be meeting with the Pakistan consulate to seek the state department's intervention on the subject of protecting the rights of minorities in Pakistan."

**We are deeply saddened to hear about the cold-blooded murder of Manmohan Singh in Peshawar, Pakistan today.**

Manmohan Singh was a Sikh man who ran a grocery store in Rashid Garhi, Peshawar. He was the sole breadwinner for his family. He is survived by his wife, a child,… pic.twitter.com/V3EN5s0qRX — UNITED SIKHS (@unitedsikhs) June 24, 2023

It added, "We are appalled by these targeted attacks on Sikh men in Pakistan. These attacks are not only horrific, but they are also a violation of human rights. We call on the Pakistani government to do everything in its power to bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice". 

- ANI