Sikhs protest on Pakistan parliament grounds
Group stages two-hour sit-in in Islamabad to protest against attacks on their places of worship.
Dozens of Sikhs have staged a protest in the grounds of Pakistan’s parliament against attacks on their places of worship.
The group staged a two-hour sit-in on the parliament’s lawns in Islamabad on Friday, and left after speaking to police and politicians from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party, senior police officer Aftab Cheema told the AP news agency.
They assured the group that they would receive full protection, he said.
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Cheema said investigators would also look into how the protesters made it past the gate, despite the presence of security personnel.
Zafar Ali Shah, a politician from the PML-N, said that the Sikh leaders protested against several attacks on their places of worship in the southern Sindh province.
“We assured them that the government will provide them full protection, and they peacefully dispersed,” he said.
According to the Express Tribune, a local newspaper, said the group was protesting about the alleged desecration of their holy books and presented demands for security.
Darshan Singh, a politician from the minority Sikh community, said the protesters also apologised for entering the parliament’s grounds.
Sikhs are a small minority in Pakistan, which is predominantly Muslim, and many of them live in Sindh.