The stone-pelting of the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara near Lahore has caused massive outrage in India. After Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh urged the authorities in Pakistan to take action, India cricket team offspinner Harbhajan Singh has urged Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to take action against the people who stoned the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Harbhajan said he was saddened that some people cannot live in peace.
Harbhajan wrote, "Don’t know what’s wrong with some people why can’t they live in peace.. Mohammad Hassan openly threatens to destroy Nankana Sahib Gurdwara and build the mosque in that place..very sad to see this, @ImranKhanPTI. God is one..let’s not divide it and create hate among each other’s.. let’s be human first and respect each other’s.. Mohammad Hassan openly threatens to destroy Nankana Sahib Gurdwara and build the mosque in that place. @ImranKhanPTI, plz do the needful."
Pakistan government rejected reports that Gurdwara Nanakana Sahib, also known as the Gurdwara Janam Asthan, the site where the first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak, was born, was attacked by certain groups. In a midnight statement, Pakistan Foreign Office said it was told by the provincial authorities in the Punjab province that there was a scuffle between two Muslim groups near the holiest Sikh site on Friday. The fight broke out following a minor incident at a tea-stall and the local authority immediately intervened and arrested the accused.
An angry mob of local residents resorted to stone pelting at Nankana Sahib Gurdwara on Friday evening. As per early reports, hundreds of angry Muslim residents targetted the Gurudwara and surrounded it threatening to destroy the structure. The reports said that the mob was led by the family of Mohammad Ehsaan, the boy who allegedly abducted and converted Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur, who is the daughter of the gurdwara's pathi.
The violent mob finally dispersed after police released Ehsaan, the man who had allegedly abducted the Sikh girl. In a video, said to be recorded at the site of the protest, one of the protesters was seen saying that locals were against the presence of the gurdwara there. One man, said to be the brother of Ehsaan, said they will not let any Sikh live there and will soon change the name of the place from Nankana Sahib to Ghulamaan-e-Mustafa. Police arrived to control mob almost 2 hours now after the situation escalated.
Delhi MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also tweeted an alleged video of the incident. He also urged Pakistan PM Imran Khan to take immediate action against such communal incidents. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh also tweeted and asked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to "immediately intervene to ensure that the devotees stranded in Gurdwara Nankana Sahib are rescued and the historic Gurdwara is saved from the angry mob surrounding it."
Also Read | Gurdwara Nankana Sahib 'Untouched And Undamaged,' Claims Pakistan Government
The incident comes on the backdrop of an ongoing debate over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in India, which extends Indian citizenship to minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. This incident is sure to be taken up by supporters of the Act as an example of how religious minorities are being treated in Pakistan.
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