National Akali Dal activists protest threat letters to Sikhs in Kashmir

National Akali Dal activists protest threat letters to Sikhs in Kashmir

Published: Sunday, Aug 22, 2010, 21:36 IST 

Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI

A group Sikhs today protested against the alleged threatening letters asking people of the community to convert to Islam and demanded immediate action by the Central government to ensure safety of the community members in that state.

Activists of National Akali Dal were led by Paramjeet Singh Pamma who alleged the government was only concerned about the Commonwealth Games and not about the fate of the Sikh community.

Pamma said his organisation is planning a visit to the Kashmir Valley.

Anonymous letters were received by Sikhs in Kashmir asking them to convert to Islam or face consequences.

The matter was also raised in Parliament, where the government assured it would look into the reported threat.

In the wake of the reported threats to Sikhs in Kashmir from militants to embrace Islam or leave the valley, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal today demanded prime minister Manmohan Singh's intervention in the matter.


A Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee delegation, led by its president Avtar Singh Makkar, would call on the PM tomorrow in connection with the threats to the minority community in Kashmir, he said.


Shiromani Akali Dal parliamentary party leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa would be part of the delegation, Badal said adding that his party would also vociferously raise the issue in Parliament.


The threat to Sikhs was a serious issue and the Prime Minister should intervene in the matter immediately, the Chief Minister said.


He said he had also written a letter to Manmohan Singh in this regard.


Badal said he had talked to Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah twice asking him to provide adequate safety to Sikhs in the state.


Recently, Omar assured a delegation of Sikhs that all necessary steps would be taken by his government for economic and social security of the community.


The 60,000-strong Sikh community is the single largest minority group in Kashmir.