Historic Gurdwara Demolished in Pakistan's Punjab
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- A local businessman demolished the 125-year-old Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Farooqabad, Punjab—roughly 70 km from Lahore—without obtaining the required No Objection Certificate from the Auqaf Department, prompting protests from the local Sikh community.
- Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took notice of the matter after Sikh protests, and Minorities Minister Ramesh Singh Arora visited the site on July 1, 2026, accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner of Sheikhupura and Auqaf officials, announcing immediate restoration.
- The Auqaf Department was directed to conduct an inquiry into the land's ownership and status; preliminary information indicated the property was not registered as Auqaf land.
- India's Ministry of External Affairs condemned the demolition as a "highly deplorable and targeted act of vandalism," demanded Pakistan investigate, prosecute perpetrators, and restore the shrine, and flagged it as "not an isolated incident" of "systemic targeting of religious minorities."
- The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) met MEA officials on July 1 and submitted a memorandum requesting diplomatic intervention, restoration, and measures to prevent further damage to minority places of worship in Pakistan.
- Local traders near the site stated the premises had been abandoned for nearly 80 years, with families settled there and shops established, warning that restoration could displace dozens of residents and urging the government to provide alternative housing and livelihood support.
Why it matters: The unauthorized demolition of a 125-year-old Sikh shrine—and New Delhi's characterization of it as part of a 'systemic' pattern of religious minority targeting—raises diplomatic pressure on Pakistan over its treatment of minority heritage sites, while Punjab's promise to restore the structure now collides with the reality of roughly 80 years of informal settlement on the land.
