Pakistan’s Anti-sikh Face Exposed Again

Shameful to Stop Sikh Pilgrims Despite Valid Indian Visas: Prof. Sarchand Singh Khiala
Amritsar, September 11: Punjab BJP spokesperson and Sikh thinker Prof. Sarchand Singh Khiala has strongly condemned the detention of 104 Pakistani Sikh pilgrims at Faisalabad Airport for nearly 12 hours despite their holding valid Indian visas, describing it as yet another shameful example of the wide gap between Pakistan’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom to non-Muslim citizens and the reality on the ground.
Prof. Khiala questioned why the pilgrims were not informed in advance if an NOC was mandatory for their travel to India. He said the Pakistan government must explain why a new condition was imposed at the last moment despite the pilgrims having valid visas and air tickets.
He said Pakistan must clarify under what legal provision the 104 pilgrims were stopped and who will compensate them for the financial losses caused by the obstruction. The Pakistani government should reimburse the cost of cancelled air tickets, accommodation and other reasonable travel-related expenses.
Prof. Khiala urged the Government of India to intervene diplomatically without delay and raise the matter with the Pakistan government at the highest level. He said the pilgrims should be allowed to travel to India without further delay. He also appealed to the Sikh community and leadership in India and across the world to take up the matter with Pakistan seriously.
Prof. Khiala said the real test of minority rights lies in their security and the protection of their religious heritage. He said reports have recently emerged about the demolition of the nearly 125-year-old Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Mandi Chuharkana, Punjab, and the reported demolition of the nearly 200-year-old Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Quetta, Balochistan, to make way for a commercial shopping mall. Similarly, reports of the demolition of a nearly 125-year-old Hindu temple in Sirja village of Narowal district, Punjab, are also a matter of serious concern.
He said these were not merely cases involving the demolition of buildings, but serious matters concerning the centuries-old religious heritage and existence of Sikhs and Hindus. He urged the Pakistan government to conduct transparent investigations into these incidents, take strict action against those responsible and ensure the protection of places of worship belonging to religious minorities.
Prof. Khiala said, “The faith of the Sikh community cannot be treated with contempt. Pakistan must stop making religion a hostage to administrative arbitrariness and political manoeuvring. If Pakistan guarantees religious rights to minorities in its Constitution, it is equally its responsibility to ensure that those rights are protected and implemented on the ground.”