Patiala August 21:
Punjab chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today urged Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan Singh to take remedial steps for the safety of Sikhs in Kashmir.
Talking to media persons here, he said that he had already made a contact with Dr. Manmohan Singh, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Home minister PC Chidambaram regarding the safety of Sikhs in the bordering state.
Notably, Sikhs in the Kashmir Valley have received anonymous letters from Islamic militants asking them to either embrace Islam and join the protests against civilian killings or pack up and leave the Valley. The 60,000-strong Sikh community is the single largest minority group in the Valley. "I have told SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar to send a team for the on the spot study of the situation," Badal said.
Mr Badal, who was here to attend a function organized by Sant Hardev Singh, said Sikhs have been facing problems in Jammu and Kashmir and the safety to them should be restore immediately. He said that his party had also raised this matter in the parliament.
Asked about preparations of SGPC poll, Mr Badal said his party was fully prepared to fight forthcoming elections. Asked about any separate status for Gurdwars of Haryana state, he said that An understanding was arrived at in 1959 between Master Tara Singh, the Akali leader, and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, in order to remove certain misgivings of the Sikhs with regard to government interference in their religious affairs.
He said that SGPC elections have been conducted on the basis of Act and changes can only be effected only after the amendment of this Act by the three-fourths majority of the parliament. Asked about the statement of former Punjab Governor Arjun Singh that Mr Badal had scuttled the Rajiv -Longowal accord, he said that it was treachery with the state and particularly with Sikhs by the Centre and Congress party.