Attack on Nankana Sahib: SGPC to send 4-member team to Pak
New Delhi/CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex body which manages Sikh shrines, will send a four-member delegation to Pakistan to take stock of the situation following a mob attack on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib.
Strongly condemning the mob attack on the historic Sikh shrine, SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal on Saturday appealed to the Pakistan government to take strict action against culprits.
"We strongly condemn the attack on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan and appeal to the Pakistan government to take stringent action against the culprits and also ensure the safety of Sikhs living there," Longowal said on Saturday. "We will send a four-member delegation to Pakistan to take stock of the situation there," he said, adding that the delegation would also meet Sikh families in Nankana Sahib.
"The delegation will also meet Pakistan's Punjab Governor and Chief Minister," he further said. He said the delegation will comprise Rajinder Singh Mehta, Roop Singh, Surjit Singh and Rajinder Singh.
The SGPC chief said the sentiments of the Sikh community were hurt due to the attack on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib. Longowal said that the SGPC would also take up this matter with the United Nations.
A day after the incident of stone-pelting, political leaders across the spectrum condemned the attack and said it was a "shameful situation".
Tensions grew at the gurdwara after a mob led by the family of a Muslim man, who had married a Sikh teenager, hurled stones at Gurdwara Janam Asthan, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, and threatened to convert it into a mosque.
Condemning the unwarranted and unprovoked attack, Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed dismay and concern regarding safety of the Sikh pilgrims and the employees. She also asked the Indian government to immediately take up the issue with Pakistan. "Government of India should also press for immediate registration of case, arrest and action against the culprits," she added.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the attack on the gurdwara is "reprehensible". He took to Twitter to condemn the attack and wrote: "The attack on Nankana Sahab is reprehensible & must be condemned unequivocally. Bigotry is a dangerous, age old poison that knows no borders. Love + Mutual Respect + Understanding is its only known antidote".
Party leaders Shashi Tharoor and Ghulam Nabi Azad termed the incident 'shameful' and appealed to the Pak government to ensure the safety of the gurdwara.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday condemned the attack and said incidents like it is 'unacceptable'. "We condemn the incident of violence at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. This is unacceptable. Humanity comes above all else," she tweeted.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh urged 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".
Calling the attack "despicable", Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the matter with Khan.
The incident led to outrage in India, with the Ministry of External Affairs condemning the action and urging the Pakistan government to "take immediate steps".
