Pak Muslim mob attacks the birthplace of Guru Nanak after ?minorities? protested over abduction and conversion of Sikh girl

Frenzied Muslim mob pelted stones at the Gurudwara Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, after the religious minority groups protested over the abduction and forced conversion of a Sikh girl in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The Nankana Sahib was attacked by Jihadis while devotees were offering prayers inside the Gurudwara. Several Sikh devotees were stuck inside when the mob gathered outside and attacked the Gurudwara, raising ‘Allahu Akbar’ war cry and other communal and hateful slogans against the minority community.

India strongly condemned the acts of vandalism at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on January 3. The Ministry of External Affairs called upon the Government of Pakistan to ensure the protection of the gurdwara. “We call upon the Government of Pakistan to take immediate steps to ensure the safety, security, and welcome of the members of the Sikh community. Strong action must be taken against the miscreants who indulged in desecration of the holy Gurudwara and attacked members of the minority Sikh community,” said the press statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

A group of Muslims attacked the Gurudwara following a dispute over the abduction and conversion of a Sikh girl, who was kidnapped from her home in Nankana Sahib. The protests of Sikh minority community members reportedly provoked the local Muslims that led to the vandalism of the Gurudwara.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure safety of the gurdwara. “I appeal to Prime Minister Imran Khan to immediately intervene to ensure that the devotees stranded in Gurudwara Nankana Sahib are rescued and the historic Gurudwara is saved from the angry mob surrounding it,” said Captain Amarinder Singh in a social media message.

According to Pakistani sources, the Jihadi mob was led by Mohammed Hassan, the man who had abducted and forcibly converted the Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur. Jagjit Kaur, daughter of a granthi at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, has been renamed as Ayesha.

Videos shot by local Sikhs show Muslims running riots in the area and threatening the Sikhs to raze down the Gurudwara. In a video that surfaced on social media, Mohammed Hassan’s brother also said that they won’t give the girl back and warned that they won’t let any Sikh live in the city. “We will ensure that there is not a single Sikh left in Nankana. And the name of this place will soon be changed from Nankana to Ghulaman-e-Mustafa,” said Hassan’s brother.

“These Sikhs have been pressurising us to send the girl back to them. But that will never happen because she is a Muslim now. She does not want to leave my brother or Islam. We will stand by her side and protect her,” he said.

The Islamic attack on the Gurdwara has triggered protests among Sikhs in India. Various Sikh groups protested outside Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi on January 4. Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise the issue with Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan since Sikh minorities in the country were feeling extremely unsafe and insecure.

Nankana Sahib is a district in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The Nanakana Saheb Gurdwara marks the birthplace of first Sikh guru, Nanak Dev, who was born in 1469.