Representational image  |  Photo Credit: PTI
New Delhi: Indian World Forum president Puneet Singh Chandhok wrote to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres seeking immediate intervention for “safety of minorities living in Pakistan”.
In his letter, Chandhok said that minorities in Pakistan, particularly those belonging to Hindu and Sikh religions, are repeatedly “facing atrocities” and are victims of “heinous crimes there”.
The IWF president cited several incidents to highlight atrocities ranging from abduction, extortion, and forceful religious conversion of Hindu and Sikh girls.
“Yesterday, alarming reports were received from Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan wherein a Papinder Singh, a local Sikh hakim was shot and brutally injured along with another Sikh passerby who also sustained a bullet injury in a bid to resist an armed robbery by militants belonging to IS-KP an affiliate of Islamic State. These militias are operating in collusion with Government of Pakistan,” the letter read.
“In 2010, Jaspal Singh a native of Peshawar was abducted and beheaded, in 2016 Swaran Singh, Member of Provincial Assembly from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and former President of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandak Committee was shot dead and in 2018 Charanjit Singh Sagar a local Sikh leader of Peshawar was also shot dead. Again last year Satnam Singh, a prominent Sikh hakim in Peshawar was shot dead,” it added.
Chandhok said that these atrocities ranging from abduction, extortion, state-sponsored killings of minorities to forceful conversion into Islam of young Hindu and Sikh girls is a “matter of great concern”.
“The decrease in demographics of minorities there portrays lack of compliance of Pakistan to UN Charter,” he noted.
He said that many young girls residing in Khyber Pakhtunwa, Punjab and Sindh province have been missing or abducted and are subjected to sexual exploitation and abuse.
‘Pak protecting accused involved in heinous crimes against minorities’
Chandhok accused the Pakistan administration of being instrumental in protecting the accused involved in heinous crimes against minorities living there.
“Irrespective of several appeals and complaints by their parents and guardians to local authorities, the Government of Pakistan has failed to take any preventive measure or responsive action,” he said.
“The government there has been successful in misleading the International community but however due to emergence of strong social media the facts and ground reality can’t be ignored or hidden,” he added.
He said that many international organisations have time and again appealed to the Pakistan government for handing over the Hindu temples and gurdwaras and estate to exclusive control and administration of minorities living there but it “failed to protect the sanctity of same”.
“ln 2020 an alarming incident took place at Sri Nankana Sahib which has shook the entire globe. A state sponsored mob pelted stones and attacked the Gurdwara Janam Asthan the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev and widely threatened the religious minorities of Hindu and Sikhs living in the area with dire consequences and propagated wiping out of minorities all across from Pakistan. This act is an open abuse of charter of United Nations,” he said.
‘Kashmiri, Khalistani terrorists provided safe heaven in Pak’
He alleged that the Pakistan government through its various agencies including Inter State Intelligence (ISI) and other organisations repeatedly have “purported and funding activities to sabotage peace and communal harmony” in our country including purporting Kashmir and Khalistan movement.
“It is an open fact that Kashmiri, Khalistani Terrorists and underworld syndicate including Dawood Ibrahim have been provided safe heaven there and operate from the Islamic nation. This is a matter of great concern for the International community considering the heinous activities taking place there,” he said.
He further said that the prevailing situation is a “threat to peace and security” in the region and is an “act of aggression” and leading to international friction.
“United Nations is fully empowered to act upon these and considering the same, I request your good self to immediately investigate the ongoing atrocities on minorities living in Pakistan and may also to direct Government of Pakistan to ensure safety and well-being,” Chandhok said.