India condemns mistreatment of Sikh police officer in Pakistan

India on Thursday strongly condemned the mistreatment and forcible eviction of a Sikh police officer from his house in Pakistan.

"We have seen reports of a Sikh policeman being mistreated and forcibly evicted from his house and also objectionable questions being raised about his faith," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said here.

"We strongly condemn this. This is not the first time that the mistreatment of religious minorities in Pakistan has happened," he said.

Pakistan's first Sikh police officer, Gulab Singh Shaheen has claimed that he was thrashed and evicted from his house in Lahore's Dera Chahal along with his children and wife following a property dispute with Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) - the parent body of Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee.

Taking to social media late on Tuesday, Singh claimed that he was evicted by ETPB. "My turban was forced open and hair was untied," Singh said in a video he shared on Facebook.

He has also appealed to Sikhs across the world to help him and take note of disrespect to a Sikh's hair and turban.

The ETPB, established in 1960, is a statutory board of the government which administers evacuee properties and shrines of Hindus and Sikhs left behind by Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India after the 1947 partition.

On Thursday, Kumar said there have been reports of persecution of other minority communities too in Pakistan.

"Recently there was this incident in Peshawar in which an elderly Sikh leader was murdered," he said.

"We would like to request Pakistan to investigate this matter and that too honestly. They should take action according to their international obligations to protect the minorities in their country."

--IANS

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