Centre summons Pakistani High Commissioner Syed Haider Shah to lodge protest over Nankana Sahib Gurdwara incident

India on Monday (January 6) summoned acting Pakistani High Commissioner Syed Haider Shah to lodge protest over desecration of Nankana Sahib Gurdwara and murder of a Sikh Youth in Peshawar.

The Centre also shared strong concerns raised by members of civil society, parliamentarians and others at the continued persecution of religious and ethnic minorities in Pakistan, including the recent despicable and heinous acts. 

The government said in a press release that Shah was asked to give a message to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure safety, security, and welfare of the members of the minority communities in Pakistan, including their places of worship, and take immediate measures to expeditiously bring the perpetrators of such despicable and heinous acts to justice.

On Friday (January 3), the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara was attacked by a mob while Sikh devotees were inside the shrine. The mob that had gathered outside raised communal slogans against the minority Sikh community and pelted stones at the shrine. The mob was led by the family of a boy who "abducted" a Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur, the daughter of Gurdwara`s panthi.

Videos of the incident were widely circulated on social media. Gurdwara Nankana Sahib was built at the place where Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev was born.