India on Thursday called on Pakistan to stop its discriminatory approach toward minorities, including Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians after a Sikh girl was forcibly abducted and converted to Islam on the evening of August 20.
the Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi said, “We have seen media reports on kidnapping, forced conversion, and marriage. It was also reported that police refused to file FIR, following which the family and Sikh community members staged a protest. We strongly condemn the targeting of minorities, including Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians. The Government of India has been raising such issues through diplomatic channels with the Government of Pakistan and we call 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.”
Dina Kaur, Gurucharan Singh’s daughter, was said to have been abducted at gunpoint, raped, and married to her kidnapper with the assistance of local administration and police. Hundreds of Sikhs and other villagers stopped the road and demanded justice after seeing the bigotry and abuse.
Bagchi also described the hardships that minorities confront in Pakistan. He stated that similar incidents of targeted attacks on minorities have occurred in Pakistan in the recent past, including the killing of two Sikh traders in Peshawar in May, the killing of an 18-year-old Hindu girl for resisting abduction in Sukkur in March 2022, and the brutal murder of a Christian pastor in Peshawar in February. These events demonstrate the climate of fear suffered by religious minorities in Pakistan.
Speaking about reports on Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s desire for peaceful ties with India, he said that “This is nothing new, we too want good relations, India desires peaceful, friendly, and cooperative relations with Pakistan, which requires an environment free from violence and terror. We want peaceful relations with our neighbors, but you know what are the problems of Pakistan and they should take steps to develop peaceful relations.”
The relationship between the two countries worsened in 2019 after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, the ties have been downgraded, bilateral trade has been suspended, and there has been no structured dialogue.
As usual, the PM of Pakistan claims to build peaceful relationships with India but is always seen to backstab. In One of the most recent diplomatic statements by the PM of Pakistan regarding J&K, the PM claimed to build a just and peaceful resolution of the J&K dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions. He publicly wished for Kashmiri people’s peace and stability in the region. Pakistan has always been seen to target the Kashmir issue in the name of peace offerings. A country that is not able to administer its own citizens well wants to intrude on India’s land and territory.
