LAHORE - The business of a prominent Pakistani Sikh leader has been attacked by unidentified people several times over the past six months, and now the miscreants have even threatened him against speaking about the issue, according to newspaper reports.
Former Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee President Sardar Bishon Singh, who has always been quite vocal against the government’s ‘injustices’ with the Sikh community, has been selling imported cloth in shops across Lahore since he moved from the tribal areas in 1993.
“They have threatened me with death and financial loss.”
He said cloth worth Rs 7 million was looted from his shop in Azam Cloth Market. Another one of his shops, located in Zeenat Tower on the Model Town Link Road, was shut down by the building’s owners.
Earlier this month, the owners cut the power supply to his shop and constructed another shop, blocking the way to his shop. “According to the tower’s map, there is no space on which the new shop can be constructed, so I have approached the court where I obtained a stay order. But when I tried to stop the construction, owners threw me outside the tower and closed my shop.”
His attempts to reach out to the police did not bear any fruit.
“Instead of hearing my complaint, police began inquiring if I belonged to India or Pakistan,” Singh said. “I tried to approach Malik Owais, Superintendent Police (SP) Model Town, but he said he had no time to entertain Sikhs as he had to deal with more pressing issues.”
“I then approached Zahid Aslam Gondal, the deputy secretary for law and order at the [Punjab] Chief Minister Secretariat, but I was not treated well. [Punjab] Governor Latif Khosa has now asked me to come see him,” he said.
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