Hundreds of angry Muslims gathered around holy place of worship for Sikh community in Pakistan, Gurudwara Nankana Sahib and pelted stones on it on Friday. The mob is being led by the family of Mohammad Hassan, the boy who is the main culprit to allegedly abduct and forcefully convert Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur into Islam. Jagjit Kaur is the daughter of the gurdwara’s Granthi (Priest). By Friday at 7 pm, reports came out of Pakistan saying, that the mob had surrounded the gurdwara and were even threatening to destroy it and build a mosque instead at the same place that Gurudawara stands for hundreds of years.
Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, also known as the Gurdwara Janam Asthan (birth place), is the site where the first Guru of the Sikhs religion, Guru Nanak, was born. It is regarded as one of the holiest Sikh sites around the world and Sikhs have a lot of faith and devotion to this place and visit this place from around the world, which also boosts the economy of Pakistan.
On August 28, 2019, at least six people, including one female, broke into the house of Bahgwan Singh (Sikh Priest of the shrine) and allegedly kidnapped Jagjit Kaur in front of her family members.
As per the First Information Report (FIR) filed by Bhagwan Singh (father of Jagjit Kaur) on August 28, 2019, the accused namely Ahsan, Yasir, Arsalan, Aslam, Bilal and Ruqiya Bibi, who came to the house in a white van and a motorbike, burst into Bhagwan Singh’s house and kidnapped his daughter and left for an unknown place. Bhagwan Singh had accused six people in his complaint filed with the local police in the matter of his daughter’s kidnapping. The kidnappers were armed with weapons, threatened the family and took Jagjit Kaur with them.
However, Jagjit Kaur’s statement in court gave a whole new twist to the case. In her statement she said “I am an independent individual. I am 19 years old. I contracted marriage with Muhammad Hassan on August 28, 2019, on my own free will and consent. My Sikh name was Jagjit Kaur and it was mentioned in the FIR as well whereas after the conversion to Islam, I adopted the new name Ayesha.”
Where the father has accused the six individuals as kidnappers and on the other hand the victim of the crime according to the family was converted to Islam forcefully and on the behest of threats made to her and to kill her parents and siblings, but on the other hand the accused are telling their side stating that Jagjit Kaur and Muhammad Hassan had long love and they loved each other and were girlfriend and boyfriend.
“Neither anybody abducted me nor committed zina [Islamic legal term meaning illicit sexual relations] with me. I left my parent’s house with three pairs of clothes, without any gold ornaments or cash. The accused persons in the FIR are innocent. The story narrated in the FIR is false, frivolous and baseless.” Police is willing to close the case, but Sikhs on the social media around the world are calling this a forceful marriage and forceful religious conversion.
The family however still believes that their daughter is being threatened and forced to make these statements in the court of law and in front of the justice and this is the case of forceful conversion. The family also made a statement that they are being threatened to take the FIR back and to convert into Islam or otherwise they will be killed, and birth place shrine of Guru Nanak Dev will be destroyed. On the other hand, Jagjit Kaur has filed a case in Lahore High Court accusing her family of sending her death threats. Jagjit Kaur’s family also threatened of self-immolation outside the Governor house in Pakistan’s Punjab province on August 31, if Jagjit Kaur is not sent back home.
Sheikh Sultan, Jagjit Kaur’s advocate, maintained that she had embraced Islam of her own free will. “Jagjit Kaur has embraced Islam and has been given the name Ayesha. She has then contracted marriage with Mohammad Hassan of her own free will.” Jagjit Kaur’s lawyer has filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court against her parents and some Sikhs accusing them of harassment and retaliation, however, Jagjit Kaur’s family still believes that the whole issue is in fact a case of forced conversion.
As the news spread worldwide it caught attention of Indian government as-well-as the natives. The continued statements and comments against Muslims regarding the incident by Indians and minorities of Pakistan has ignited their anger. As a reaction to these accusations of forceful religious conversion, the attack on Gurudwara took place in Pakistan and this Gurudawara is the birth place shrine of Sikh Religion’s founder and prophet Guru Nanak Dev.
Girl’s family also met with the higher authorities of Pakistan in Lahore on Friday and authorities while have assured for the justice, but Sikhs around the world are suspecting the justice.
Some Sikh philosophers around the world are calling it a mistake of their own as many Sikhs were lured towards terrorism and they killed thousands of people in India and demanded a separate Sikh Land the “Khalistan” and allied with Pakistan and its intelligence, but now the result is even Sikh girls in Pakistan are not safe, but some people around the world, who are living in other countries like USA, Canada, England, Australia and around the world are demanding a separate Sikh Land the “Khalistan”. The separate thinking people, who speak against India and its policies always oppose Indian Government, but now are seeking assistance from the government of India. Even in the United States and Canada these Sikhs opposed India’s prime minister’s visit and Punjab’s chief minister’s visits and threw shoes on their cars and now are seeking the assistance of government of India.
According to some Sikh leadership in New Delhi spoke on the condition of anonymity that some of the Sikhs living in other countries were the root cause of terrorism in India and it was backed up by Pakistan and now they are asking the separate main land for Sikhs the “Khalistan” and it is also backed by the government of Pakistan and its intelligence, who want to break India, should now learn the lesson that they should support India and it’s policies not the Pakistan and should not be the puppets of Pakistan.
Ministry of External Affairs of India strongly condemned the act of vandalism and said “We are concerned at the vandalism carried out at the revered Nankana Sahib Gurdwara (in Pakistan) today. Members of the minority Sikh community have been subjected to acts of violence in the holy city of Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji.” Sikhs and Hindus living in Pakistan are living in a hostile environment and many Hindus and Sikhs have been moved to India and are seeking asylum based upon the religious tortures and retaliations.
“India strongly condemns these wanton acts of destruction and desecration of the holy place of Sikh religion. We call upon the Government of Pakistan to take immediate steps to ensure the safety, security, and welfare of the members of the Sikh and Hindu community in Pakistan,” it said by the external affairs minister of India in a statement made to the media.
Whereabouts of the girl are still unknown; the family claims fake rumours and news is being spread about their daughter returning home soon. The issue has created a bitter divided between the Sikh minority of Pakistan and Muslims majority belonging to the region
Some of the Sikhs are planning to reach out to the ministry of external affairs from Punjab, Haryana and New Delhi to ask them to get a permanent security to the Sikh and Hindu shrines in Pakistan and to protect the individuals, but in the past Indian authorities were kidnapped in Pakistan from India’s Embassy and according to the MEA this demand is not possible, because Pakistan is an independent sovereignty, but we can put a diplomatic pressure on them.
Mr. Balraj Singh of New Delhi said that now our Sikhs need to learn and know that we belong to India not to Khalistan or Pakistan and we need to respect the constitution and laws of India and not talk negative against the government of India and it’s laws. He further added that before five hundred years ago we all were on and were Hindus, but not some of the Sikhs are spreading these words that we are separate from Hindus, whoever says that and supported Muslims should see this that our daughter Jagjit Kaur was kidnapped, converted to Islam and made to marry her kidnapper, so we need to learn a lesson from this all and respect our India and our Hindu brothers and sisters. Mr. Singh further added that if the Sikh Shrine will be destroyed, we will stand up and will do the same in India and will destroy the Muslim places of prayer.
The secretary general of Pakistan Sikh Gurudawara Prabhandhik Committee Ameer Singh told our reporters that Jagjit Kaur is in Lahore’s Daurl Amaann (shelter home for women) and she hasn’t sent back to her parental home yet. He further added that the Sikh’s held protests at many places in Pakistan, but authorities haven’t promised anything yet to the Sikhs.
