Former Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Sampla today strongly condemned the demolition of the nearly 125-year-old historic Gurdwara, Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib, located at Mandi Chuharkana (Farooqabad), Punjab Province, Pakistan.
He said this was not merely an attack on a historic place of worship but a direct assault on the faith, history and priceless heritage of the Sikh community.
Sampla said serious concerns had long been expressed regarding the safety and religious freedom of Sikhs and other minority communities in Pakistan. Reports of attacks on temples and gurdwaras, illegal encroachments on religious sites, discrimination against minority communities, and the alleged forced conversions and marriages involving women and minor girls from the Hindu and Sikh communities, have repeatedly drawn international attention. He said such incidents indicate that much more needs to be done to ensure the effective protection of the rights of minority communities and the preservation of their religious heritage in Pakistan.
He said when historic and sacred religious sites cannot be protected, it raises serious questions about religious freedom, the rule of law and the constitutional rights of minority communities.
He further stated that, over the past several years, numerous controversies involving temples, gurdwaras and other places of worship, in Pakistan, had continued to surface. Under such circumstances, the responsibility of the Government of Pakistan becomes greater and it must move beyond mere assurances and take strict and exemplary action against those responsible, thereby restoring confidence that the protection of every religious site and every citizen is its highest priority.
Welcoming the Government of India’s diplomatic response to the issue, Sampla urged the Government of Pakistan to conduct a fair, transparent, and time-bound investigation into the incident, ensure stringent action against the culprits, and undertake the early restoration of Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib.
