Sikh advocate brutally beaten, forced to convert to Islam in Pakistan

Sikh advocate brutally beaten, forced to convert to Islam in Pakistan


By Ravinder Singh Robin, Amritsar, Nov. 28 : While India and Pakistan governments are finding out ways to resume dialogue, an incident of a Sikh being brutally beaten up and asked to convert to Islam has come to light.



Anup Singh, a resident of Pindi Ghaip, nearly 100 kilometres from Islamabad, was allegedly attacked by a group of about eight to ten people on November 21 in day time.

Sources in Pakistan say that Anup Singh was brutally beaten up and left seriously injured.

Anup Singh, an advocate by profession, practices law in civil courts. He took a case of a Mrs. Safina Kanwal wo Muhammad Amin, for a separation and Haq Maher (compensation) from her husband.

Gurmeet Singh from Pakistan has alleged that Muhammad Amin, kidnapped Sardar Anup Singh from his office and took him to his place. He was stripped and his photographs were taken with Amin's wife to use it as evidence. He was compelled to sign on the blank paper and brutally beaten. His hair and beard were cut with the help of Muhammad Amin's brothers and friends

Anup Singh was told that if he did not convert to Islam, he would not be allowed to live in the area and would be killed by them, said Gurmeet Singh.

His family members brought him in an unconscious state and admitted him to Holy Family hospital, Rawalpindi,' said Gurmeet Singh and added that Anup Singh has suffered big cuts on his head and face while his legs and arms have been fractured.

Gurmeet has also complained that even the hospital was not giving the medical report of Anup's case after six days.

According to the latest information, Ravinder Singh, the brother of Anup Singh along with other family members have taken shelter at Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hana Abdal, Pakistan

Sikh organizations have taken a serious note of the incident.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/south-asia/28334-sikh-advocate-brutally-beaten-forced-convert.html

Avtar Singh Makkar, president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) has condemned the incident and said to give a memorandum to the Pakistan High Commission soon.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28334

He said that he would also seek an appointment with the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and urged to take up the matter of security of the Sikh community living in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, talking to ANI from USA, Dr. Pritpal Singh, convener American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC), condemned the attack on Anup Singh.

Dr. Singh said their organization would take up the matter with the State department of United States and would ask them to make safety and security of the minorities living in Pakistan.

He said AGPC would also strongly put up the case before the Government of Pakistan.

Delhi Gurdwara Sikh Management Committee Chief Parmjit Singh Sarna, reacting to the incident, said that Pakistan Government should inquire and take action.

He has demanded exemplary punishment for the persons responsible for the attack on Anup Singh. Sarna said that he would submit a memorandum to Pakistan High Commission.

There are about 10,000 Sikhs living in Pakistan.

 
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Sardar Anup Singh is no more a Muslim than I am a piranha. According to the news story, he was beaten, shorn and signed a blank piece of paper. "Forced conversions" are a complete sham. We all know this.

Here are some before and after pictures.
BEFORE

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28334

AFTER
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28334



A letter from his sister can be found on Facebook at: Login | Facebook

My link seems not to work if you can't login to Facebook. So here is her letter:

His Excellency
Mr. Ansar Burney
United Nations Expert Advisor on Human Rights
Pakistan’s former Federal Minister for Human Rights
Chairman: Ansar Burney Trust International
Wassiamal Building
Arambagh Road
Karachi, PAKISTAN.

Your Excellency

My name is Harsh Kaur and I am a Sikh residing in London with my husband and 3 children from the last 7 years. My paternal family is currently living in a small town near Rawalpindi, Pakistan called Pindi Gheb. I am writing to you today to bring to your attention the torture that my family is being put through over there.

A Muslim lady in our neighbourhood in Pindi Gheb had been suffering from domestic violence for many years and this was well known to the people of the town. She finally came to my elder brother Advocate Anup Singh Jaggi pleading for help recently. He has since been involved in the proceedings of a divorce for her. On Saturday 24th November 2009 my brother was called to one of the family homes of the lady’s husband. There he was attacked by several members of his family, during which his turban was thrown to the ground, his hair was cut off and his beard and moustache were shaved. Along with this his clothes were ripped off, he was beaten up severely and lacerated multiple times across the face and body with a razor blade. Finally the attackers took pictures of my brother as he was fighting for his life. They also made him sign on a blank piece of paper with the threats that if he did not they would kill him. As you can imagine, such a brutal attack started to get the attention of the neighbourhood as it was happening. Public started gathering around and helping my brother. My other brother was also called by somebody and he came to his rescue too. My brother was taken to the local hospital where the doctors said he had suffered from multiple skull fractures and there was a very little chance that he would pull through. They advised that he was taken to one of the larger hospitals in a bigger city. Overnight my brother was taken by my family to Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi.

Anoop remained unconscious for several days and has only just regained consciousness yesterday. When I spoke to my other brother he told me that Anup was not recognising anyone at first and even now intermittently forgets some of the family members. However, I can at least thank God and say that he is alive. Obviously, the rest of my family are very distressed and constantly fear the safety of the other family members. My father recently passed away and I have one sister who is still at home, unmarried. Due to concerns of her safety my family has sent her out of town to my uncle’s house where hopefully she cannot be found.

This attack was planned and the man whose wife’s case my brother was fighting did this because he was unhappy about the divorce. He was falsely accusing my brother of having an affair with his wife which is why he was helping her out. The lady who was filing for a divorce has given a statement that Anup was from a respectable family and that he never did or said anything outside the limitations of his role as her lawyer.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28334

Unfortunately, this is not the first time something like this has happened to us. About 20 years ago, when my eldest brother was only 10-11yrs old, a group of Muslim men from the neighbourhood took him away after seeing him playing with one of their daughters. He was a turban wearing Sikh and the group of men forcefully cut his hair as well. At that time my father went to the police and filed an FIR but nothing was done about it. Within my extended family in Nankana Sahib a young, well educated Sikh was killed at gun point 2 months ago. I myself had to leave with my husband after facing many problems and have been in England under political asylum.

After reading my story I am sure you can imagine the constant fear that our family is living in. This attack on Anup was unprovoked and racist in nature. There are many Sikh families in Pakistan, all of whom try to practice their own religion and maintain the Gursikh values our Gurus taught us. My fellow Sikhs, I write to you today pleading for help, to save my family and the other Sikh families around us who have been suffering in silence all these years. I have been married into a Sikh family who also lives in Pakistan and one of my younger sisters is also married to a Sikh man in Pakistan. I fear for their lives and of course the lives of my family living in Pindi Gheb. I do not know who to turn to at this time of difficulty but firmly believe that my Sikh community will find this as unacceptable as I do. We are blessed to be living in the West where we take for granted the freedom with which we lead our lives. I can only hope that you will unite with me now and help out our brothers and sisters who are stuck in turmoil in Pakistan.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28334

Yours sincerely,

Harsh Kaur

This was 2 years ago. Are there any updates on Sardar Anup Singh? Did he live or did he die? If alive, what is his condition now? Does anybody have any news?

Mai Harinder Kaur ji see entry number 20 in the URL below,

http://www.uripakistan.org/detail.asp?ConCatID=97

See under "MAIN NAVIGATION

COOPERATION CIRCLES IN PAKISTAN"

I believe it is the same person so must be alive with Waheguru's grace.

Sat Sri Akal.

I hope you are right. It would mean that not only is he alive; he's also active and has retained his intellectual faculties.