Pakistan religious leaders deny India’s claims on Sikh shrine, plan restoration work

ISLAMABAD: Religious leaders of various faiths and Islamic schools of thought in Pakistan have denounced what they called “baseless propaganda” by India over a Sikh religious site in Farooqabad, Sheikhupura.

The participants said India had stated in recent days that a Sikh gurdwara in Farooqabad had been dismantled and inhabited by local locals. “We deny the claim and the site is a historic dharamshala that is in its original state since before the creation of Pakistan,” they stated. They said only one wall had fallen down because it was in such bad shape.

The National Peace Committee Coordinator and Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, along with Muslim scholars and representatives from the Christian, Hindu and Sikh communities, visited the site and formally inaugurated restoration work on the damaged wall.

The delegation said the dharamshala will be restored to its original form and just the collapsed part of the structure would be replaced.

The religious leaders told journalists that Pakistan was a country of all religions and added that non-Muslim populations are given extensive constitutional and religious rights in the country.

They also added that Pakistani Muslims are committed to defending the rights of religious minorities and said the government would continue to ensure the security of minority groups, their places of worship and their holy religious sites.

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