New Delhi: A day after a mob attack on the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri sought to know on Saturday whether those protesting across the country against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) needed more evidence of oppression of minorities in the neighbouring country.
Taking to Twitter, the Union housing and urban affairs minister said the violent mob that besieged the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara on Friday had threatened to change the name of the holy place to “Ghulam-e-Mustafa”.
Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, also known as Gurdwara Janam Asthan, is the site near Lahore in Pakistan where the first Guru of Sikhs, Guru Nanak, was born.
A violent mob had attacked the gurdwara and pelted it with stones on Friday.
“The violent mob that besieged Nankana Sahib Gurudwara has threatened to change the name of our holy place to Ghulam-e-Mustafa.
Murderous mob which laid siege to Sri Nankana Sahib has also threatened to change the name of this holiest of holy places to Ghulam-e-Mustafa.
Persecution of minorities in Pakistan is for real.
Do those opposed to CAA still need more proof?@BJP4India @BJP4Delhi pic.twitter.com/akuWHdr4zj
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) January 4, 2020
“Do those who are opposing the CAA need more evidence of oppression of minorities in Pakistan,” Puri said in a tweet in Hindi, along with a video clip that showed a mob threatening to change the name of the gurudwara.
Members the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and Shiromani Akali Dal staged a protest near the Pakistan High Commission here on Saturday over the mob attack on the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara.
According to the CAA, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who came to the country from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, facing religious persecution in those nations, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but be given Indian citizenship.
Also read: Pakistan says Gurudwara Nankana Sahib ‘untouched’, desecration claims ‘false & mischievous’
SGPC to send 4-member delegation to Pak
The Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex body which manages Sikh shrines, will send a four-member delegation to Pakistan to take stock of the situation following the mob attack on the gurudwara.
Strongly condemning the mob attack on the historic Sikh shrine, SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal on Saturday appealed to the Pakistan government to take strict action against culprits.
“We strongly condemn the attack on Gurudwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan and appeal to the Pakistan government to take stringent action against the culprits and also ensure safety of Sikhs living there,” Longowal said on Saturday.
“We will send a four-member delegation to Pakistan to take stock of the situation there,” he said, adding that the delegation would also meet Sikh families in Nankana Sahib.
“The delegation will also meet Pakistan’s Punjab Governor and Chief Minister, he further said.
He said the delegation will comprise Rajinder Singh Mehta, Roop Singh, Surjit Singh and Rajinder Singh.
“We have spoken with the Gurudwara Nankana Sahib management committee…they told us the situation is normal now,” he said.
The SGPC chief said the sentiments of the Sikh community were hurt with the attack on Gurudwara Nankana Sahib.
Longowal said that the SGPC would also take up this matter with the United Nations.
Punjab’s former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal also condemned the attack on Gurudwara Nankana Sahib.
“We request the Government of India to immediately take steps so that peace and harmony is restored,” he said.
Also read: Govt won’t budge an inch on implementing CAA, says Home Minister Amit Shah