NCM urges Jaishankar to take up forced religious conversion of Sikh woman with Pakistan

NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Minorities has urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take up with Pakistan the forced religious conversion of a Sikh woman there to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future.

Reportedly, the Sikh woman, a teacher, from Buner district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was abducted at gunpoint on August 20 and forcibly married to her abductor.

In a statement issued on Monday, the NCM said it has taken cognizance of media reports about the abduction and forcible conversion of a Sikh woman in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area.

Sikhs living in India and abroad are deeply concerned.

The incident has hurt their religious sentiments, it said.

Accordingly, NCM chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura has requested the minister of external affairs to take up the matter with his counterpart in Pakistan so that such incidents are not repeated in future, and appropriate steps are taken to prevent and combat hate and ensure the safety of Sikhs in Pakistan, the statement said.