New Delhi: The family of a Sikh girl who has been allegedly abducted and forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan has sought help from the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The incident came to light after a video was shared Thursday by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Manjinder S Sirsa. In it the family members of the girl has alleged that she was forcibly converted and threatened that her brothers and father would be shot dead if she did not take up Islam.
“The girl who was abducted yesterday (Thursday) is my sister. She was threatened that her brothers and father would be shot if she did not accept Islam,” said one of the brothers who identified himself as Manmohan Singh in the video.
“I request Imran Khan and Army Chief of Pakistan (Qamar Javed) Bajwa to help us in bringing the girl back so that it does not backfire on them on the Kartarpur and Kashmir issues,” the person added.
In the text accompanying the video, Manjinder S Sirsa urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to raise the issue at the global level, including at the United Nations.
“Sikhs of Pakistan seek help from @ImranKhan PTI. I urge @narendramodi Ji & @DrSJaishankar Ji to raise this issue at global level bcos forced conversions happening in Pakistan have angered all the Sikhs. This issue must be taken up at @UN as it threatens Sikhs freedom of religion (sic),” tweeted Sirsa.
The girl is the daughter of a granthi of a gurdwara in Nankana Sahib. According to media reports, she was allegedly kidnapped and forcibly converted by a gang of local boys.
Earlier in the day, answering a query about the alleged kidnapping and forced conversion of the Sikh girl from Nankana Sahib, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India has from time to time raised the issue of treatment of minorities in Pakistan.
“We have talked of harassment, violence, forced abduction, forced conversion, persecution of minorities. I feel that the minorities who are there, they have some obligations, which Pakistan should fulfill,” Raveesh Kumar told reporters.
Agencies