India has asked Pakistan to take measures to swiftly bring those guilty of atrocities on minority groups to justice. There have been reports that religious and places of worship belonging to minority communities in Pakistan have been vandalized and desecrated. These include theft of Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurudwara Sri Guru in Sindh, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue in Lahore, Shiv Mandir in Mirpur Mathelo and Shri Mata Mandir in Karachi and gold statue in Sant Baba Jairam Das Samadhi Ashram in Sindh.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan said that India has taken up all these matters with Pakistan and asked Pakistan to take steps to protect and promote the safety and welfare of minority communities and the protection of places of worship .
Muraleedharan said that since 2014, India has released more than two thousand seven hundred Indian prisoners from Pakistani jails and brought them home. India has also asked for early consular access to other Indians in Pakistani custody and their release and repatriation. Muraleedharan said the government attaches the highest importance to the issue of Indian prisoners in Pakistani custody and all possible assistance is being provided for the early release of the fishermen.
