New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) The BJP on Thursday accused senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi of maintaining “selective silence” over the demolition of a 125-year-old gurdwara in Pakistan, alleging that the opposition party speaks selectively on issues concerning human rights and persecution of minorities.
The attack came a day after India condemned the demolition of the historic Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Pakistan’s Punjab province, describing it as a “highly deplorable” act and calling on its government to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice.
Targeting Gandhi, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that she and other “champions of human rights” choose to remain silent on the plight of minorities in Pakistan.
“Certain champions of human rights like Sonia Gandhi write op-eds on Gaza but are extremely silent on Sikhs being mistreated and persecuted in Pakistan, on atrocities against Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, or even on Muslims in the Uyghur province and Muslims killed in Pakistani bombing.
“This shows their double standards. They cry for Gaza but remain silent on our Sikh brothers in Pakistan,” Poonawalla alleged.
He said Pakistan has no moral authority to lecture India or the world on minority rights.
“Pakistan lectures India and the world on minority rights. It is like the devil preaching scriptures. Look what is happening to the Sikh community in Pakistan.
“A 125-year-old important gurdwara has been targeted and demolished. This is not the first such incident. Several sites associated with Guru Nanak Dev have been targeted by Islamist mobs with impunity and no action is taken against them,” he said in a video statement.
Claiming that the Sikh population in Pakistan has declined from around 20 lakhs at the time of Partition to a few thousand now, Poonawalla alleged that it reflects the continued persecution of the community.
“The Sikh population has come down from 20 lakhs in 1947 to a few thousand. It is a 99 per cent decline.
“No wonder the government of India not only condemns such acts but also safeguards Hindus, Sikhs and other minority communities persecuted in Pakistan,” he said. PTI ADI ADI KSS KSS
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