Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar informed the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) that the matter of the forced religious conversion of a Sikh woman has been raised with the Pakistan government. In the statement given by the minister it was said:
Government of India raised the matter with the Government of Pakistan conveying grave concerns at such a shocking & deplorable incident.
The minister added:
GoI has also shared its expectations that the Pakistan government will sincerely probe it& take strict action against those responsible for this incident. Pakistan has also been called upon to ensure the safety and welfare of the members of the minority communities in Pakistan, including their places of worship.
On August 20, a female Sikh teacher named Dina Kaur was abducted in the Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. As per reports, Kaur was forcibly converted to Islam and married to her Muslim abductor with the help of local administration and police. Massive protests were held by the Sikh community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the incident. The NCM on August 22, 2022, issued a letter that said:
Sikhs living in India and abroad are deeply concerned. The incident has hurt their religious sentiments.
The letter further added:
NCM chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura has requested the minister of external affairs to take up the matter with his counterpart in Pakistan so that such incidents are not repeated in future, and appropriate steps are taken to prevent and combat hate and ensure the safety of Sikhs in Pakistan.
On August 21, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa met the foreign ministry’s joint secretary JP Singh and requested him to summon the Pakistan High Commissioner regarding the abduction and forcible conversion of Kaur. As per the statement given by Sirsa:
Sikh delegation met Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs JP Singh to share our concerns regarding human rights violations of Sikh/Hindu girls in Pakistan in light of the recent event of a kidnapping, forceful conversion and Nikah of Dina Kaur in Pir Baba Town.
“We have urged the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to raise the issue of security of minorities in Pakistan at a global level. JP Singh Ji has assured us of quick action in this regard”, Sirsa said.
