Pakistani media has released reports of Pakistani police officer trying to forcefully convert Sikhs into Islam.
A news has broke out of Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa of a district commisioner of police forcing Sikhs to convert into Islam if they wanted their problems solved. Farid Chand Singh filed a complaint that the Tall Tehsil, Hangu assistant commissioner Yaqoob Khan was forcing the conversion in return of assistance for their problems in the area.
The incident has cause outrage amongst the Sikhs worldwide as news through social media reached millions. Singh told the media that the Sikh community has been living in Hangu since 1901 and never had to face such a problem from government officials on religious reasons. He went onto say that Sikhs have been living in harmony with Muslims for over hundred years in the area.
“Had it been from someone ordinary, it would have never felt so offending but when you hear such things from a government official, it becomes something really serious,” Singh told the newspaper.
“We the residents of Doaba area are being tortured religiously,” the complaint said.
“The Constitution empowers us to defend our religious beliefs against anyone and we want you to call (the assistant commissioner of) Tall, Yaqoob Khan, and inquire (about) the issue,” it said, adding the issue “should be investigated so that the community could live in Pakistan with love, peace and harmony”.
The district commissioner, Shahid Mehood, said members of the Sikh community were offended during their meeting with the assistant commissioner but had never meant to insult them.
“There was no such issue of converting someone forcefully to Islam. Rather, the district administration ensures religious freedom,” Mehmood said.
A decent amount of Sikhs live in northwest Pakistan with the trouble making tribals who’ve headed a number of Sikhs in the area.