Dwindling Sikh community faces "existential crisis"

[5aaban]

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/sikh-community-faces-existential-crisis-in-pakistan-101654007355224.html

Sikh community faces 'existential crisis' in Pakistan

In a brutal incident on May 15 recently, two Sikh traders--Kuljeet and Ranjit Singh- - were murdered on the outskirts of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, Asian Lite International reported.

According to Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, there are just 15,000-20,000 Sikhs estimated to be left in Pakistan of which some 500 Sikh households are in Peshawar.

 

Published on May 31, 2022 08:06 PM IST

 

Islamic outfits have made an unlivable environment for religious minorities in Pakistan through targeted killings, abductions and forced conversions. Attacks on Sikhs have become a regular affair in the country and it has triggered tension among communities. In a brutal incident on May 15 recently, two Sikh traders--Kuljeet and Ranjit Singh- - were murdered on the outskirts of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, Asian Lite International reported.

This was the 'twelfth' such incident since 2014 when Sikhs were targeted by extremists in KP province alone. Moreover, in September last year, Satnam Singh, a Sikh Unani medicine practitioner was shot down inside his clinic in Peshawar, the report added, citing the local community. The Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) took the responsibility for the attack.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also strongly condemned the murders and said in a statement, "This is not the first time that the Sikh community in KP has been targeted and we demand that the KP police identify and arrest the perpetrators promptly."

The Sikh population in Pakistan is in a vulnerable state and has seen a massive decline in the last two decades amid rising cases of forced conversions and targeted attacks by the Islamic outfits because of their unique religious identifications and their population accumulation in unsafe areas of KP.

World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) also condemned the Peshawar killings and expressed deep concerns for the safety of Pakistan's Sikh community. In their statement, the WSO stated that Sikhs in Pakistan are "feeling vulnerable and unsafe." Moreover, "they do not know if they will return home safely, if they go out." Most of the Sikhs in KP come from a financially weak background and run small grocery shops or work as Hakeems. Migrating to a safer place is becoming a compulsion for them as Pakistan does not guarantee their security in the region anymore, Asian Lite said.

According to Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, there are just 15,000-20,000 Sikhs estimated to be left in Pakistan of which some 500 Sikh households are in Peshawar.

In January 2020, a violent mob attacked one of the holiest Sikh shrines, Nankana Sahib Gurudwara, in Punjab province, and the horrific attack terrorized Sikhs across Pakistan because it made them realize that Punjab was not safe anymore. Amid the growing demands of imposing 'Sharia Law' in the country and the constant ascent in atrocities against Sikh minorities has shrunk space for them to survive in Pakistan, growing disenchantment among minority communities in Pakistan, especially among Sikhs, who thought that they could co-exist peacefully along with majority Muslims.

Pakistan is witnessing a new wave of terrorism with several incidents of target killings of Sikh and Shia minorities reported in the Peshawar region in recent years. The previous governments in Pakistan abandoned the execution of the National Action Plan (NAP) which was meant to be put in place to carry out a crackdown on terrorism giving rise to horrific incidents taking place against minorities in the nation.

Religious minorities in Pakistan are often treated as 'second-class' citizens, Asian Lite International reported. 

[MisterrSingh]

Hate to even think this, but a terrorist attack at Nankana Sahib is an inevitability at this point. 

[Ranjeet01]

It's been existential since 1947.

Very surprised that there are 10k to 15k Sikhs left in Pakistan. 

I thought that there would be less than 100.

[MisterrSingh]

1 hour ago, Ranjeet01 said:

It's been existential since 1947.

Very surprised that there are 10k to 15k Sikhs left in Pakistan. 

I thought that there would be less than 100.

In my teens I would get triggered thinking of Pakistani and Afghan Sikhs, wondering, "Why don't they just move to another country?" Now I'm older I can appreciate how difficult it is to just get up and leave especially if it's not an immediate or direct life and death situation. Not many apne are capable of looking at a degrading society they call home, and extrapolating their existence 20 years into a dark and dangerous future. By all means, WE should be looking to leave the UK considering what's coming especially if you've kids and elders who can still move around a little bit. Americans in the major cities should've started leaving around 2 years ago. 

[Ranjeet01]

26 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

In my teens I would get triggered thinking of Pakistani and Afghan Sikhs, wondering, "Why don't they just move to another country?" Now I'm older I can appreciate how difficult it is to just get up and leave especially if it's not an immediate or direct life and death situation. Not many apne are capable of looking at a degrading society they call home, and extrapolating their existence 20 years into a dark and dangerous future. By all means, WE should be looking to leave the UK considering what's coming especially if you've kids and elders who can still move around a little bit. Americans in the major cities should've started leaving around 2 years ago. 

It is because you have to start from scratch when you move.

If it's a life and death situation then it is a different matter.

[Dsinghd]

Where you’re born that becomes your homeland.

These Sikhs are Pakistani.

[proudkaur21]

3 hours ago, MisterrSingh said:

In my teens I would get triggered thinking of Pakistani and Afghan Sikhs, wondering, "Why don't they just move to another country?" Now I'm older I can appreciate how difficult it is to just get up and leave especially if it's not an immediate or direct life and death situation. Not many apne are capable of looking at a degrading society they call home, and extrapolating their existence 20 years into a dark and dangerous future. By all means, WE should be looking to leave the UK considering what's coming especially if you've kids and elders who can still move around a little bit. Americans in the major cities should've started leaving around 2 years ago. 

most humans are resistant to change and only act when the matter is about life and death. Otherwise they will continue on despite knowing the potential dangers.

[californiasardar1]

4 hours ago, MisterrSingh said:

In my teens I would get triggered thinking of Pakistani and Afghan Sikhs, wondering, "Why don't they just move to another country?" Now I'm older I can appreciate how difficult it is to just get up and leave especially if it's not an immediate or direct life and death situation. Not many apne are capable of looking at a degrading society they call home, and extrapolating their existence 20 years into a dark and dangerous future. By all means, WE should be looking to leave the UK considering what's coming especially if you've kids and elders who can still move around a little bit. Americans in the major cities should've started leaving around 2 years ago. 

 

I think you are worrying too much about "what's coming" in places like the UK and US. Don't be so negative.

And in any case, where would you even go? If the UK and US are hell on earth, where is the utopia that I have somehow overlooked?

[MisterrSingh]

26 minutes ago, californiasardar1 said:

 

I think you are worrying too much about "what's coming" in places like the UK and US. Don't be so negative.

And in any case, where would you even go? If the UK and US are hell on earth, where is the utopia that I have somehow overlooked?

Yeah. I know it'll be pretty much business as usual. Things eventually settle down again for a few decades. I was talking to an older guy I worked with, and he said the 70s and early 80s were very similar to what we're seeing now in terms of divisive politics and cultural issues. While there does seem to be a strange air of finality about some issues currently occurring in the world, I think things will be somewhat ok for most people.

As for the utopia... Israel!

[dallysingh101]

On 6/1/2022 at 6:19 PM, Ranjeet01 said:

It is because you have to start from scratch when you move.

If it's a life and death situation then it is a different matter.

Not only that. Established people can see your vulnerability and take every opportunity to exploit it.