Sri Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Condemns Killing of Sikh Couple in Pakistan, Asks For Immediate And Strict Action Against Culprits

Amritsar, June 17 —Kanwar Partap Singh , Tajeemnoor Kaur
The Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj, has strongly condemned the murders of Gurdwara Sahib caretakers Shri Jagannath and Bibi Asma Vanti, a Sikh couple, after shooting in the Mardan area of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He asked Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief minister Muhammad Sohail Khan Afridi to take strict notice of the matter, immediately arrest those responsible, and ensure severe punishment for the culprits.
He said that Sikhs are already a minor minority in Pakistan, and if they are targeted and killed in this manner, it amounts to a serious act of oppression against minority communities.
The Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib stated that it is the responsibility of the Pakistan government to ensure the safety and security of the lives and property of minority communities. He said this incident once again raises a major question: whether minorities in Pakistan are truly safe or not. He added that the Pakistan government should transparently reveal the motives behind this double murder that took place in the Gurdwara Sahib.
He further stated that murdering innocent Sikhs in a Gurdwara Sahib — a place where prayers are offered daily for the Sarbat Da Bhala (welfare of all humanity) — is a grave crime and an act against humanity.
The Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib also offered prayers to the Akal Purakh (Almighty) for the departed souls of the slain Sikh couple, asking that they may find peace at His feet and that their family be granted strength to bear this irreparable loss