Rescue Sikhs stranded at Nankana Sahib gurdwara: Amarinder to Pak PM; SAD appeals to Modi

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday expressed concern over reports of mob attack on the Nankana Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan.

Singh appealed to Pakistan premier Imran Khan to ensure that the devotees stranded at the Nankana Sahib gurdwara are rescued from the mob, while SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the issue with his Pakistani counterpart.

According to the External Affairs Ministry, members of the minority Sikh community in Pakistan have been subjected to acts of violence at the holy city of Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji.

"Appeal to@ImranKhanPTI to immediately intervene that the devotees stranded in Gurdwara Nankana Sahib are rescued and the historic gurdwara is saved from the angry mob surrounding it," the Punjab chief minister tweeted.

The MEA said the reprehensible actions followed the forcible abduction and conversion of a Sikh girl who was kidnapped from her home in the city of Nankana Sahib in August last year.

According to reports, a mob attack took place at the shrine where the Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev was born. Reports suggested that hundreds of angry residents at Nankana Sahib pelted the Sikh pilgrims with stones on Friday.

In a statement issued here, SAD president Badal said it was shocking that the local administration in Nankana Sahib remained a mute spectator to the violence unleashed by the mob which "tried to gate crash into the Gurdwara compound and indulged in inflammatory speeches".

"I urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the issue with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. This is a despicable act and it is the Pakistan government's primary human, moral and Constitutional duty to ensure the safety of Sikhs in the country," he said.

Badal said that in the interest of justice, the Pakistani government should also act against the person who was responsible for the abduction of the Sikh girl and also led the attack on the gurdwara.

"The attack was apparently perpetrated to liquidate the family of the girl whose father is a granthi of the gurdwara," he said.

In the statement, the SAD chief alleged that instigators of Friday's violence had made speeches demanding that the city named after the first Sikh Guru - Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji - be renamed Ghulam Ali Mustafa.

Demanding quick and exemplary action against those targeting the Sikh community and disrespecting the religion, Badal said the entire Sikh world has been shaken by the heinous incident and the Pakistan government should take appropriate steps.