LIVE Footage from Nankana Sahib where an angry Muslim mob is outside Gurdwara Sahib and raising anti-Sikh slogans… https://t.co/fDAkmYKPxt — Manjinder S Sirsa (@mssirsa) 1578057842000

AMRITSAR: One of the holiest Sikh shrines, Nankana Sahib gurdwara, some 60-odd km from Lahore in Pakistan , came under attack from a mob on Friday, drawing a sharp reaction from India, which came down heavily on the vandalism and threats posed to the Sikh custodians and residents of the shrine.In a statement, India condemned the “wanton acts of destruction and desecration” of the holy place and noted that the minority Sikhs have been subjected to acts of violence in the city, the birthplace of Guru Nanak , following the abduction and conversion of Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur .The mob was led by Mohammad Imran, the brother of Mohammad Hassan, the man the abducted girl was forcibly married to. The attackers were angry with Jagjit’s brother Manmohan Singh for lodging a police complaint. The besieged Sikhs were threatened that they would be evicted .A clearly shaken Manmohan Singh told TOI over the phone, “They have attacked Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and we are either confined to our homes or in gurdwaras.”SGPC leaders in India condemned the incident and Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh asked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to intervene to protect the gurdwara and Sikhs.When contacted, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Satwant Singh claimed ignorance. “I will inquire and let you know,” he said. Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board chairman Aamir Ahmad didn’t respond to a query on the attack.The Indian foreign ministry said Jagjit was kidnapped from her home in Nankana Sahib in August last year. “We call upon the Government of Pakistan to take immediate steps to ensure the safety, security and welfare of the members of the Sikh community. Strong action must be taken against miscreants who indulged in desecration of the holy gurdwara and attacked the minority Sikh community,” the statement said.India said Pakistan is enjoined to take all measures to protect and preserve the sanctity of Nankana Sahib and its surroundings. Outrage mounted in India after videos of the mob spread on social media.Amarinder appealed to the Pakistan PM to ensure stranded devotees are rescued and the gurdwara saved from the angry mob surrounding it. “Appeal to @ImranKhanPTI to immediately intervene to ensure devotees stranded in Gurdwara Nankana Sahib are rescued and the historic Gurdwara is saved from the angry mob surrounding it,” Singh tweeted.According to sources, the group led by Mohammad Imran surrounded the gurdwara and pelted it with stones while threatening Sikhs.Kaur was renamed Ayesha Bibi, and her brother Manmohan Singh and other family members lodged a complaint against Hassan, his friends and family members. The incident had then brought the two communities on the verge of a clash and Pakistan Punjab’s governor Chaudhary Mohammad Sarwar had to intervene to resolve the issue.In a video, Mohammad Imran is heard threatening Sikhs and saying they would not be allowed to stay in Nankana Sahib. “SHO Tassuvar Munner picked up my brother Mohammad Hassan and cousins and the accompanying policemen kicked my mother in the stomach and slapped my sisters. Nankana Sahib deputy commissioner Rajna Mansoor is pressuring my brother to give divorce to Ayesha and return them to Sikhs,” he is heard saying and raising slogans like “ham badla lenge (we will take revenge)” and that Nankana Sahib will be renamed Gulam-e-Mustafa.Another local Sikh, who didn’t wish to be named, said, “This is for the first time since Partition that Muslims have attacked our gurdwara , I fear things will worsen now.”Imran is also heard saying in another video that Ayesha is to be produced before a judge in Lahore high court on January 9 to get her statement recorded and to go wherever she wants to go.Condemning the attack, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee senior vice-president Rajinder Singh Mehta said, “We want those who dared to attack the gurdwara to be given exemplary punishment.” He urged the government to take up the issue with Pakistan.Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjinder Singh Sirsa urged PM Imran Khan to act fast and take the strongest possible action.