125-year-old gurdwara demolished in Pakistan; distressing, says India

India has condemned the demolition of a historic Sikh shrine in Pakistan as a deeply distressing act of vandalism. Sikh organisations and political leaders have demanded accountability and restoration of the gurdwara, and stronger protection for religious minorities.

A nearly 125-year-old Sikh shrine in Pakistan's Punjab province was razed on Wednesday, by a local businessman without the required official approval, triggering protests from the minority Sikh community and drawing a strong diplomatic response from India, reported news agency PTI.

The historic Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Farooqabad, around 70 km from Lahore, was demolished by a businessman who allegedly failed to obtain the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the relevant authorities, a Punjab government official told PTI.

"The businessman had demolished the gurdwara without obtaining the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the department concerned. The department had not taken notice of it until the Sikhs of the area protested," the official said.

The demolition sparked protests by local Sikhs, prompting Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to take cognisance of the matter, according to the official.

Following the outcry, Punjab's Minister for Minorities Affairs, Ramesh Singh Arora, visited the site on Wednesday along with senior district officials, representatives of the Auqaf Department and municipal authorities. During the visit, he met members of the local Sikh community and heard their grievances.

For context, the Auqaf Department is a provincial government body in Pakistan responsible for managing and regulating religious endowments, shrines, mosques, and associated properties. It is decentralised, with each province operating its own autonomous Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department.

Addressing the media, Arora said preliminary information from the Auqaf Department indicated that the demolition had been carried out without securing the necessary permissions from the authorities concerned.

He reiterated that Pakistan's Punjab government was committed to protecting the rights of minority communities and safeguarding their places of worship. Arora also directed the Auqaf Department to immediately investigate the ownership and legal status of the land on which the gurdwara stood. Initial findings suggested that the property was not registered as Auqaf land.

"I personally inspected the site and instructed the relevant authorities to submit a fact-based report at the earliest," the minister was quoted as saying by PTI, adding that restoration work on the historic gurdwara would begin immediately.

He also reaffirmed the provincial government's commitment to preserving Punjab's religious heritage and protecting places of worship belonging to minority communities.

However, the restoration plan has met resistance from some local traders operating around the site. According to PTI, they argued that the premises had remained abandoned for nearly 80 years, during which several families had settled there, and numerous shops had been established.

The traders expressed concerns that restoring the shrine could lead to the displacement of dozens of families and urged the government to provide alternative housing and livelihood support if any evictions became necessary.

NEW DELHI SLAMS GURDWARA DEMOLITION IN PAKISTAN

Responding to media reports, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)of India described the incident as "deeply distressing" and strongly condemned what it called a "highly deplorable" and "targeted act of vandalism" against a revered Sikh place of worship.

"We have seen the deeply distressing reports regarding the demolition of the historic 125-year-old sacred Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Farooqabad, Pakistan. We strongly condemn this highly deplorable and targeted act of vandalism against a revered Sikh shrine," the MEA said in a statement on Wednesday, according to PTI.

India urged Pakistan to carry out a swift investigation, bring those responsible to justice, and ensure that the demolished portions of the shrine are restored at the earliest.

The MEA also expressed concern over reports that local authorities and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), which oversees many religious properties left behind during Partition, had failed to take meaningful action.

Calling the incident "not an isolated" one, the ministry alleged that the "systemic targeting of religious minorities and their places of worship in Pakistan continues unabated."

It further urged Islamabad to fulfil its obligations to ensure the safety, security and well-being of minority communities and to put an end to what it described as an environment of sectarian violence and religious intolerance.

Reacting to the demolition, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami said it was Pakistan's responsibility to ensure the safety of its Sikh minority and protect their places of worship.

"It is the responsibility of the governments of the respective countries to ensure the safety of minorities. In the same way that we are protecting the Muslim minority in India, it is the responsibility of the Pakistani government to ensure the safety of the Sikh community in Pakistan. We condemn such incidents," Dhami told ANI.

Separately, Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney welcomed the Government of India's strong diplomatic response, saying the reported demolition had further deepened the sense of insecurity among Sikhs worldwide, coming soon after the recent killing of a Sikh couple in Pakistan.

In a post on X, Sahney said Pakistan was home to some of Sikhism's holiest shrines and an "irreplaceable civilisational heritage", placing a solemn responsibility on its authorities to preserve these sacred sites. He urged Pakistan to ensure the safety and dignity of the Sikh community, protect every historic gurdwara, and take concrete steps to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Separately, a delegation from the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) met officials of the Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum seeking India's intervention, reported The Hindu.

The delegation requested the government to ensure that no further damage is caused to the shrine, pressed for the restoration of the demolished structure, and called for stronger diplomatic engagement with Pakistan to prevent similar incidents involving places of worship and heritage sites belonging to minority communities.

The issue also drew political reactions within India. Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Sampla condemned the reported demolition, calling it an attack on the Sikh community's faith and heritage.

Speaking to reporters in Punjab's Hoshiarpur on Thursday, Sampla said repeated incidents involving attacks on places of worship, encroachments on religious sites and discrimination against minorities in Pakistan had raised serious concerns about the safety and religious freedoms of Sikhs, Hindus and other minority communities.

Welcoming the Union government's diplomatic response, he urged Pakistan to conduct a fair, transparent and time-bound investigation, take strict action against those responsible and restore Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib to its original historic form.

According to PTI, Sampla also said that protecting places of worship and ensuring the rights of minority communities is a matter of universal human rights, religious freedom and the preservation of shared cultural heritage.

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