Islamabad: Police in Pakistan's Sindh province on Monday arrested a shopkeeper who sold shoes with sacred Hindu word 'Om' inscribed on them and seized the offensive footwears following protests by the country's minority community.
"The shopkeeper was arrested and the shoes in question have also been confiscated," Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) patron-in-chief Ramesh Kumar Vankwani told media.
Speaking on the matter, Vankwani said that police found that the controversial shoes were purchased from a manufacturer in Lahore. Adding further he said that the Punjab police were being approached to initiate against the culprits involved in hurting sentiments of the Hindu community and spreading hatred.
Earlier today, there were reports that the minority community in Pakistan was furious and staged a protest against the sale of shoes inscribed with sacred religious symbol ‘Om’ and described the actions of shopkeepers selling them as 'unfortunate' and 'blasphemous'.
Vankwani said that they had already lodged protests with the Sindh government and local authorities in Tando Adam Khan after it was brought to the notice of the Hindu community that shoes were being sold with the sacred word ‘Om’ inscribed on them.
He added the sale of such shoes was an insult to the Hindus in Pakistan as it is blasphemous to use the sacred word ‘Om’ on shoes.
Only in Sindh 4 Hindus ,Sanghar police lodged FIR of the blasphemous footwear arrested d shopkeeper pic.twitter.com/eCC9Wa4fwj v @amarguriro
— JahanAra M Wattoo (@jahanarawattoo) June 20, 2016
