'Set your own house in order first': India advised as FO clarifies Kartarpur Sahib repaired within a day

Says India’s concern for minorities other than its own country ironic

Responding to media queries regarding damage to a few domes of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib due to strong winds, the Foreign Office spokesperson on Sunday clarified that the domes damaged on the night of April 17 had already been repaired.

FO Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui stated the repair work was completed within 24 hours of the damage.

Referring to the Indian authorities sending a formal letter (note verbale) regarding the matter, Farooqui stated that the domes had already been repaired by the time the letter was received.

The spokesperson added that it was ironic that a country where religious minorities did not feel safe, and where their places of worship were routinely destroyed under patronage of state machinery, had the temerity to raise the issue of minor damage caused to a religious site elsewhere due to a natural calamity.

Pakistan rubbishes Indian media claims linking country with Kabul Gurdwara attack

“India would be well-advised to take steps to effectively protect its minorities and their places of worship, rather than feigning concerns for the rights of minorities elsewhere,” the Farooqui insisted.

Furthermore, she said, “The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) and the Sikh community have greatly appreciated the efforts for immediate repair of the damaged domes.

“The Sikh community in Pakistan, and all over the world, is appreciative of the Government of Pakistan’s efforts for operationalising the Kartarpur Corridor. The work on the world’s biggest Gurdwara, the Kartarpur Sahib, was completed in record time by Pakistan last year,” the FO spokesperson further maintained.

Farooqui said the magnificent newly-built Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib compound was a gift by the people of Pakistan and its leadership to the Sikh community.

The opening of the Kartarpur Corridor on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak was a historic decision by the Pakistani government, reflecting its respect for the religious sentiments of the Sikh community across the globe.