Pak Sikh thrashed for not converting to Islam

Indian Sikh devotees light candles at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on November 2, 2009, the 540th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev. Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji was born in 1469 in Talwandi, a village in Sheikhupura district, 65 km west of Lahore in Pakistan.


AMRITSAR: A Sikh advocate in Pakistan was reportedly thrashed and threatened with dire consequences recently if he did not convert to Islam, forcing his family to run for safety to a Gurdwara in Hassanabdal near Rawalpindi.

While the victim, Anup Singh, was yet to regain consciousness, the incident has left the Sikh community in Pakistan rattled and insecure. Talking to TOI from Islamabad, Anup’s brother, Ravinder Singh, recalled horror of November 21. ‘‘A group of at least eight men kidnapped my brother from his office and took him to Mohammad Amin’s residence, where he was stripped and photographed with Amin’s wife.’’

Undergoing treatment for fractures and severe head injuries in Holy Family Hospital, Ralwalpindi, where doctors said it might take a few months before Anup could start leading a normal life, the advocate was reportedly assaulted for fighting a separation case for Amin’s wife, Safina Kanwal. ‘‘The goons made my brother sign on a blank paper, after which they cut his hair, beard, moustaches and threatened him to convert to Islam if he wanted to live in Pakistan.’’

Sikh men can ofter be seen in the large turbans - and many would take great offence to being made to cut their hair. Younger boys and girls are often seen dressed alike - with the hair pulled up into a bun on top of their heads.

Times of India