Reports coming out of Pakistan said that the mob had surrounded the Gurdwara, desecrated it and were threatening to destroy it.
Amritsar, Jan 03
In a shocking video that has surfaced from Pakistan, a mob leader can be seen shouting anti-Sikhs and Islamic slogans to the cheers of a crowd. He threatens Sikhs, saying that they would take over Nankana Sahib in Pakistan and rename it Ghulam-e-Mustafa. He shouted that Sikhs should be thrown out of Pakistan. The video shows the extent of persecution that minorities face in Pakistan.
An angry mob of Muslim residents of Nankana Sahib in Pakistan stormed Gurudwara Nankana Sahib, birth place of Sikh's first master Guru Nanak Dev, on Friday. According to the reports, local Muslims were resentful of Sikh's opposition to the alleged ‘forcible' conversion of a Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur to Islam and her marriage to a Muslim boy.
Hundreds of angry Muslim residents of Nankana Sahib pelted stones on Gurdwara. The mob, as per initial reports, that desecrated the Gurudwara was being led by the family of Mohammad Hassan, the boy who allegedly abducted and converted Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur, who is the daughter of the gurdwara's granthi.
By Friday at 7 pm, reports coming out of Pakistan said that the mob had surrounded the gurudwara and were threatening to destroy it.
In a video, recorded at the site of the protest, the protesters were seen saying that they were against the presence of the gurdwara there. They say they will soon change the name of the place from Nankana Sahib to Ghulaman-e-Mustafa.
“No Sikh will remain in Nankana,” the protesters can be heard saying.
Chief Minister of Punjab in India Capt Amarinder Singh has requested Pak PM Imran Khan to intervene in the matter. “Appeal to @ImranKhanPTI to immediately intervene to ensure that the devotees stranded in Gurdwara Nankana Sahib are rescued and the historic Gurdwara is saved from the angry mob surrounding it,” Amarinder Singh tweeted.
Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal also took to Twitter to express his outrage on the incident and request PM Narendra Modi to take it up with Imran Khan urgently. “Mob attack on Gurdwara Sri #NankanaSahib, birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev ji, is a despicable act and I urge PM @narendramodi ji to take it up with Pak PM @ImranKhanPTI. We have to ensure the safety of Sikhs in Pakistan and I trust that the govt will address the issue on priority,” SAD chief tweeted.
The situation remained tense as many Sikh devotees were stranded inside the Gurdwara, while many others of the community could not come for prayers.
India has strongly condemned the attack at Nankana Sahib Gurudwara, and has asked Pakistan's government to take “immediate steps” to ensure the safety, security and welfare of members of the Sikh community.
The angry mob at the gurdwara is being led by Mohammad Hassan's brother, who has claimed that Hassan has been beaten up mercilessly by the authorities for lawfully and consensually marrying the girl. “I have been beaten by police authorities many times on orders of the minority minister and others. These Sikhs have been pressurizing us to send the girl back to them. But that will never happen because she is a Muslim now. She does not want to leave my brother or Islam. We will stand by her side and protect her,” said the brother of Hassan.
Manmohan Singh, brother of Jagjit Kaur, whose Muslim name is Ayesha Bibi told to Indian news channel (TOI) from Nankana Sahib: “They (Muslims) have attacked the Gurdwara and are pelting stones, we (Sikhs) are confined to our homes or in Gurudwaras” .
Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa shared the video which, he said, showed an angry Muslim mob shouting anti-Sikh slogans outside Nankana Sahib.
Indian news channel (India Today TV) spoke to the local Sikh community, who said that the family of Muhammad Hassan has led the mob because we have been asking for the return of Jagjit Kaur.
We have been asking Governor Punjab and others to help us get Jagjit Kaur back to her family. This mob has targeted us because of the same reason. The brother of the Muslim boy is leading this mob. They have been pelting stones at the Gurdwara for hours now, said a local Sikh in Nankana Sahib.
We have asked the authorities to help us, he added.
Sources at the ground have told that local police and Pakistani Rangers have started arresting the protesters to quell the situation. As per details, a case will be registered against Hassan's family by the Sikh community.
The incident comes a day after Sikhs celebrated Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti on Thursday.
Nankana Sahib, a district in Pakistan's Punjab province with a namesake gurudwara, assumes importance for Sikhs as their first Guru, Guru Nanak Dev was born there in 1469.
Ministry of External Affairs has issued a statement condemning the vandalism of the Holy Sikh shrine. “We are concerned at the vandalism carried out at the revered Nankana Sahib Gurdwara (in Pakistan) today. Members of the minority Sikh community have been subjected to acts of violence in the holy city of Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji,” the ministry statement said.
“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,” it said.
(With inputs from videos on news portals, Twitter handles and from Hamza Ameer in Pakistan)
