Condemnation poured in after a nine-feet chilly bronze statue of the primary Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh was vandalised by an activist of the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) on the Lahore Fort in Pakistan’s Punjab province. A video of the incident has gone viral and the native police mentioned the accused has been arrested and strict motion shall be taken in opposition to him.
Pakistan’s minister for data and broadcasting Fawad Chaudhary referred to as the act shameful and the vandal an illiterate, harmful for the nation’s world picture. Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “This bunch of illiterates are actually harmful for Pakistan’s picture on this planet.”
Within the video, the accused may be seen chanting slogans, breaking the arm of the statue and dismantling Singh’s bust from the horse and throwing it on floor earlier than being pulled by one other man.
In an announcement, Lahore’s capital metropolis police officer mentioned the suspect used a hammer to inflict injury on the statue.
Particular assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on political communication Dr Shahbaz Gill mentioned this was an try and undermine Pakistan’s evaluation and had been signs of a sick mindset. He mentioned quick motion shall be taken in opposition to the accused.
“These are signs of a sick mindset. That is an try and undermine Pakistan’s evaluation,” he was quoted as saying in a report.
In response to an article in Daybreak.com, the chief minister of Punjab in Pakistan, Usman Buzdar, has additionally taken be aware of the incident and directed the Lahore CCPO to submit a report on this regard. He additional directed that motion be taken in opposition to the suspect in accordance with the regulation, and ordered for the statue to be restored to its authentic kind, the report mentioned.
In the meantime, India has additionally expressed concern over the incident with the Ministry of Exterior Affairs describing it as “disturbing” and mentioned such acts of violence in opposition to minorities are growing at an alarming charge in Pakistan. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi mentioned, “Now we have seen disturbing stories within the media concerning the vandalization of the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore at the moment. That is the third such incident whereby the statue has been vandalized because it was unveiled in 2019.”
Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the founding father of the Sikh Empire, which dominated the northwest Indian subcontinent within the early half of the nineteenth century.
(With company inputs)
