The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president, Sukhbir Singh Badal, on Sunday condemned the killing of a Sikh youth in Pakistan’s Peshawar and expressed grave concern over the rising incidents of religious persecution of Sikhs and other minorities in the neighbouring country.
In a statement issued here on Sunday, the SAD chief urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the issue with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan to ensure the safety of Sikh brethren in the neighbouring country.
Badal said it was condemnable that after an attack on Nankana Sahib gurdwara, a Sikh youth was murdered in Peshawar.
“This shows the extent of religious persecution Sikhs and other minorities are facing in Pakistan. Rising attacks on religious places as well Sikhs and other minorities in Pakistan are the direct outcome of the anti-minority policies of its government,” he said.
Badal said it was because of such policies that “Islamic fundamentalists had become a law unto themselves and were persecuting minorities and indulging in forced conversions”.
The SAD president said that the murder of Islamabad journalist Harmeet Singh’s younger brother Parvinder Singh in Peshawar by unidentified assailants proved that “innocent people were being targeted indiscriminately to instil a sense of fear among minorities”.
{{/usCountry}}The SAD president said that the murder of Islamabad journalist Harmeet Singh’s younger brother Parvinder Singh in Peshawar by unidentified assailants proved that “innocent people were being targeted indiscriminately to instil a sense of fear among minorities”.
{{/usCountry}}“The victim had come from Malaysia for his wedding and became a target of hate crime currently on the rise in Pakistan,” he said, while adding that the “Pakistani government seemed to be in league with the hardliners in targeting minorities there”.