Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Committee delegation meets Pak High Commissioner, demands Special Grievance Cell for minorities in Pakistan

By Ashoke Raj
New Delhi [India], August 29 : A delegation of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Tuesday met the High Commissioner of Pakistan (Political Attache) Aizaz Khan in connection with the recent incident of kidnapping of a Sikh girl Bibi Deena Kaur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
The meeting took place at the High Commission of Pakistan, in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee in a Memorandum "demanded the formation of a special grievance cell for minorities in Pakistan to provide them prompt justice as their voices go unheard and they have to run from pillar to post to seek justice."
This comes as a Sikh woman Dina Kaur was forcibly abducted and converted to Islam on the evening of August 20 in the Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
"With a very heavy heart, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee is writing this memorandum to draw the kind attention of the Government of Pakistan toward the repeated incidents of atrocities on minorities, kidnapping of Hindu and Sikh girls and their forceful conversion to Islam and Nikah in Pakistan," the memorandum read.
Kaur was kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam and was made to do Nikah against her will. The incident occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The Police did not register FIR on the complaint of the victim's family which led to a massive demonstration outside the police station. The incident shocked the Sikh community worldwide.
The memorandum highlighted, "when such incidents happen, it is generally noticed that local administration and police play a negative role and discriminate against Sikhs and try to hush up the matter."
Slamming the Pakistani government, it read, "On the one hand, the Government of Pakistan boasts that Pakistan is a democratic country and treats all its citizens equally but on the other hand, atrocities are committed against minorities and gross violation of human rights is a matter of grave concern."
Considering the gravity of the situation, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee requested the Pakistan High Commission to convey the sentiments of the Sikh community to the Government of Pakistan and appeal to form a Special Grievance Cell consisting, of members of all minority communities for resolving the problems being confronted by the minorities particularly Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan.
In dismay over the outcome of the meeting, Harmeet Singh Kalka, DSGMC President, said, "We are not satisfied with the meeting. We are unhappy with the attitude of the diplomat, the way we were treated today. On the above sensitive matter, he said, the law will take its own course."
He asserted, "If our demands are not met, we will raise this issue in front of the International Forum of Human Rights."
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa earlier met the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs JP Singh and requested him to summon the Pakistan High Commissioner with regard to the kidnapping of a Sikh woman teacher in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Dina Kaur, daughter of Gurucharan Singh, was reported to be abducted at gunpoint, raped and married to her abductor with the help of local administration and police.
"Sikh delegation met Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs JP Singh to share our concerns regarding human rights violations of Sikh/Hindu girls in Pakistan in light of the recent event of kidnapping, forceful conversion and Nikah of Dina Kaur in Pir Baba Town," he said.
"We have urged the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to raise the issue of security of minorities in Pakistan at a global level. JP Singh Ji has assured us of quick action in this regard," the BJP leader added.
Many Sikh families are settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and they are mostly engaged in businesses. The minority community, including the Sikhs, Hindus and Christians from different parts of Pakistan have been facing persecution and their girls are regularly kidnapped, raped and married to their abductors.
Many families from Pakistan have already migrated to India and other countries to protect their daughters and other family members.