Puneet Singh Chandhok, President of the Indian World Forum, has written a letter to UN Secretary, General Antonio Guterres, seeking "immediate intervention" for the safety of minorities living in Pakistan.
In a letter, Chandhok said, "I am writing to you today for seeking your immediate intervention for the safety of minorities living in Pakistan. They are repeatedly facing atrocities and are victims of heinous crimes there. Minorities, in particular, belonging to Hindu and Sikh religions which have close bonds with India are being persecuted."
Chandhok in his letter has highlighted the persecution of Sikhs and Hindus living in Pakistan.
"Yesterday, alarming reports were received from Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wherein a Papinder Singh, was shot and brutally injured along with another Sikh passerby who also sustained a bullet injury in a bid to resist an armed robbery by militants belonging to IS-KP an affiliate of Islamic State," said Chandhok, adding "these militias are operating in collusion with the Government of Pakistan."
In 2010, Jaspal Singh, a native of Peshawar, was abducted and beheaded. In 2016, Swaran Singh, Member of Provincial Assembly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and former President of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandak Committee was shot dead and in 2018 Charanjit Singh Sagar, a local Sikh leader of Peshawar, was also shot dead. Again last year Satnam Singh, a prominent Sikh in Peshawar, was shot dead, read the letter.
"These atrocities ranging from abduction, extortion, state-sponsored killings of minorities to forceful conversion into Islam of young Hindu and Sikh girls is a matter of great concern. The decrease in demographics of minorities there portrays a lack of compliance of Pakistan to the UN Charter," said the President of the Indian World Forum in the letter.
"United Nations is fully empowered to act upon these and considering the same, I request your good self to immediately investigate the ongoing atrocities on minorities living in Pakistan and may also to direct Government of Pakistan to ensure safety and well-being of Hindu and Sikhs and other faiths living there, including protection of their rights," said Chandhok.
(ANI)