Punjab: Five veterinary officers dismissed
In a bold move to address negligence and absenteeism, Punjab Animal Husbandry Department on Thursday terminated the services of five veterinary officers with immediate effect.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has offered help to the Sikh girl, who was allegedly abducted and forced to converted to Islam in Pakistan, to come and settle in India.
“Even after so many days, (Pakistan Prime Minister) Imran Khan has failed to help out Jagjit Kaur, forcibly converted and married against her wishes,” the Chief Minister wrote in a tweet on Monday.
“I would like to extend my full support to the young girl and will be happy to have her and her family to settle down in Punjab and provide any help if needed,” he added.
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Even after so many days, @ImranKhanPTI has failed to help out Jagjit Kaur, forcibly converted & married against her wishes. I would like to extend my full support to the young girl & will be happy to have her & her family settle down in Punjab along with any help needed.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) September 2, 2019
Kaur, who went missing for days, was found on Thursday after she was forcibly converted to Islam and made to marry a Muslim man. The 19-year-old girl is the daughter of a ‘granthi’ (priest) at Gurudwara Tambu Sahib and was converted to Islam at gunpoint.
There were reports that the girl had been sent back to her parents and Pakistan’s Punjab province Nankana Sahib police had arrested eight persons in connection with the case. The Governor of Punjab province in Pakistan, had also met the father of the girl.
Earlier, Amarinder Singh lambasted Khan for not helping the girl. He also urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take up the issue with his Pakistani counterpart at the earliest. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president and Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa condemned the incident. He said the issue of abduction and forced conversion is not just about Jagjit Kaur, but nearly 30 girls have been forced to convert in Pakistan in the last 75 days.
The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said it has received a number of representations from various quarters of civil society in India and members of Sikh religious bodies on the incident of abduction and forced conversion to Islam and marriage of the minor daughter of a Sikh granthi from Nankana Sahib, in Pakistan.
“We have shared these concerns with the Government of Pakistan and asked for immediate remedial action,” the MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. India’s reaction came as Pakistan was reported to have constituted a 30-member committee in the case.
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