150 Sikhs and Hindu families move to Pak Punjab

Vaishakh Shuddha Navami

Islamabad: Pakistani Hindu and Sikh families, who have been targeted by Taliban for failing to pay ‘religious’ tax, left their homes and moved to Punjab province to take shelter as the government here today dismissed India’s "verbal demarche" on the issue.

More than 150 Sikhs and Hindu families in Pakistan’s North Western Frontier Province and tribal areas have moved to Punjab for shelter as the US branded the Taliban as "ruthless killers" for targeting the minority Sikh community.

"So far, over 150 Sikh and Hindu families have arrived at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal and Rawalpindi from places like Buner, Swat and Aurakzai Agency," Evacuee Trust Property Board Chairman Asif Hashmi said today.

"We have made arrangements for accommodation, food and security for the displaced Sikh and Hindu families in all five major gurdwaras in Punjab," Hashmi told PTI here.

Amid expression of concern by India over the fate of the minority community in NWFP after the imposition of ‘jiziya’ on non-Muslims, Pakistan’s Foreign Office dismissed India’s "verbal demarche".

"Pakistan is fully cognizant of the issue of the Sikhs and of the welfare of all its citizens, especially the minorities," Basit said.

Sikhs and Hindus had to leave their homes and properties in Buner and Swat in the NWFP after the Pakistani security forces stepped-up operation last week to flush out the Taliban from the Swat Valley.

Source: PTI

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