Lahore: A Sikh girl, daughter of a Gurdwara priest (granthi), who had gone missing several days ago surfaced to leave her family and her community in a state of shock. The 19-year old girl appeared on Thursday, but with a different identity.
Jagjit Kaur, daughter of Bhagwan Singh was reportedly put on a gunpoint, forcefully converted to Islam and was also married off to a Muslim man in Nankana Sahib of Lahore. A video of Jagjit Kaur has surfaced where she was forcibly converted to Islam and named as Ayesha.
The family has now appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa for the safe return of the girl. Meanwhile, the family has also threatened to immolate themselves in front of the Punjab Governor’s residence if the girl is not released.
Surinder Singh, brother of Jagjit Kaur is quoted in media saying, “Our family has faced a tragic incident as some goons forcibly entered our house and abducted my younger daughter. They tortured her and forcibly converted her to Islam. We went to a police station to register a complaint. We met many senior officials but they have not listened to our complaint. The goons again came to our house and forced us to withdraw our complaint and threatened that they will also force us to convert to Islam if we persisted with the complaint.”
President of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, while condemning the incident has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take up the matter.
The incident holds a mirror to the allegations that girls from religious minorities are forcibly converted to Islam and married off to Muslim men in Pakistan.
