New Delhi: India on Thursday strongly condemned the forced conversion of a Sikh woman in Pakistan, while calling upon Pakistan to end its discriminatory approach towards minorities and discharge its responsibilities to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of all its citizens.
Dina Kaur, a teacher was forcibly abducted and converted to Islam on August 20 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. According to reports, she was raped and married to the abductor with the help of police and local administration. Thereafter, massive protests by the Sikh community erupted over the incident.
Addressing the weekly media briefing here in the national capital, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "It is shocking to see such levels of religious intolerance in Pakistan. The apathy of law enforcement agencies towards religious minorities is part of that system".
"We see this is yet another instance of religious persecution faced by the minority communities in Pakistan," he added.
Bagchi noted that unfortunately, there have been similar incidents of targeted attacks on minorities in the recent past in Pakistan, including two Sikh traders in Peshawar, the killing of an 18-yr-old Hindu girl for resisting abduction in March 2022, brutal murder of a Christian pastor in Peshawar. These instances reveal the atmosphere of insecurities faced by the religious minorities in Pak, he said.
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"We strongly condemned the targeting of minorities there including Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians," said the MEA spokesperson, reiterating that the Govt of India has been raising this issue through diplomatic channels with the Government of Pakistan. India further called upon Pakistan to end this discriminatory approach towards minorities and discharge its responsibilities to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of all its citizens.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Minorities has urged External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to take up the matter with his Pakistani counterpart. The commission urged that appropriate steps are taken to prevent and combat hate and ensure the safety of Sikhs in Pakistan.
