Sukhbir Badal urges S Jaishankar to take up safety issue of Sikhs in Pakistan

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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday urged external affairs minister S Jaishankar to take up the issue of safety of Sikhs in Pakistan with the neighbouring country’s government, after two members of the community were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Peshawar. “Shocked & pained to learn about the dastardly killing of two Sikh shopkeepers-Ranjit Singh and Kuljeet Singh in Peshawar (Pakistan). Condemning the incident, I urge EAM @DrSJaishankar ji to ensure justice to the bereaved families & also to take up Sikhs’ safety issue with @PakPMO,” Badal wrote on Twitter. “Condemn the killings of 2 Sikhs, Kuljeet Singh and Ranjit Singh, in Peshawar, Pakistan. 7 months ago, Satnam Singh (Hakim) was also assassinated in Peshawar. Govt of India must call out Pak govt’s insensitive and indifferent approach towards continuous brutal targeted killings of Sikh Minority,” tweeted Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill. Meanwhile, according to local media reports, the victims were both shopkeepers who sold spices in Bata Tal bazaar in Peshawar’s Sarband.

Mahmood Khan, chief minister of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the Capital, strongly condemned the attack and directed the police to take immediate steps to nab the accused. Khan further said there was a ‘conspiracy’ to disrupt inter-faith harmony, adding that justice will be ensured for the victims’ families. Sikhs are a very tiny minority in this country of 220 million inhabitants. In Peshawar, they reside mostly in the Jogan Shah neighbourhood. Most members of the community in the city are involved in business, while some also run pharmacies.

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