India summons Pakistani diplomat, lodges protest against attacks on Sikhs

The diplomat has been conveyed that Pakistan should ensure the safety and security of its minorities.

A day after a Sikh shopkeeper was killed at Peshawar in Pakistan, New Delhi has lodged a protest with the neighbouring country’s government over targeting of the minority community there.

A senior diplomat of the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs, where the officials conveyed to him that India had taken serious note of the incidents of attacks on the minority communities in the neighbouring country, including the Sikhs.

New Delhi noted that at least four incidents of attacks on Sikhs in Pakistan had taken place between April and June this year.

Also Read | Sikh man shot dead by unknown gunmen in Pakistan's Peshawar city; suspects arrested

A 35-year-old Sikh, Manmohan Singh, was shot dead in Peshawar when he was returning home from his shop in the northwestern city of Pakistan. Earlier, another Sikh had survived a similar attack in the same city. The Islamic State, a terrorist organisation, claimed responsibility for both attacks, stating that the victims had been targeted as they practised a polytheistic religion. Two other Sikh businessmen were killed at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan in May last year.

Islamabad too on Saturday lodged a protest with New Delhi alleging that the violation of the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) by the Indian Army personnel resulted in the death of two civilians in Pakistan. That was the first time one of the two nations alleged violation of the 2003 ceasefire along the LoC after they in February 2021 reached an agreement to strictly abide by it and not to flout it. The Indian Army, however, stated that its soldiers had foiled an infiltration attempt by three armed intruders from Pakistan.

New Delhi’s acting envoy to Islamabad was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Pakistan and a “strong protest” was conveyed to him over the alleged “violation of ceasefire” by the armed forces of India. The Indian Army, however, stated that its soldiers had foiled an infiltration attempt by three armed intruders from Pakistan.