‘Deeply distressing’: India slams demolition of 125-year-old gurdwara in Pakistan

India on Wednesday condemned the demolition of a 125-year-old gurdwara in Pakistan’s Farooqabad, terming the reports as “deeply distressing”. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said: “We strongly condemn this highly deplorable and targeted act of vandalism against a revered Sikh shrine.” India also called upon the government of Pakistan to “expeditiously investigate” this matter and “bring the perpetrators of this despicable act to justice”.

The statement came after a local businessman in Pakistan’s Punjab province demolished the decades-old gurdwara, sparking protests from the minority Sikh community, officials told news agency PTI on Wednesday.

पाकिस्तान ने फरुकाबाद शहर में 125 साल पुराने पवित्र गुरुद्वारा जिसे गुरुद्वारा सिंह साहब कहा जाता था उसे बुलडोजर से नष्ट कर दिया

भारत सरकार ने इस पर कड़ी आपत्ति जताई है

लेकिन आश्चर्य यह है कि ब्रिटेन कनाडा अमेरिका में बैठे खालिस्तानी और खुद पाकिस्तान में बैठे कई खालिस्तानी… pic.twitter.com/ImPrKESgcP

— 🇮🇳Jitendra pratap singh🇮🇳 (@jpsin1) July 2, 2026

What happened in Pakistan?

The historic gurdwara — located about 70 kilometres from Lahore — was demolished by the businessman without any clearance.

The demolition was carried out “without obtaining the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the department concerned. The department has not taken notice of it,” a Punjab government official told PTI.

The demolition triggered protests by the Sikh community, both in India and Pakistan.

A delegation of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) met MEA officials on Wednesday, seeking intervention into the matter, the report stated.

Submitting a memorandum to the officials, the committee requested the government to ensure that no further demolition or damage is caused to the structure in the neighbouring country.

It also requested for restoration of the demolished parts of the gurdwara and urged them to take effective measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in Pakistan.

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“We also request the Government of India to lodge a strong diplomatic protest with the Pakistan government, conveying serious concern of the Sikh community over repeated unfortunate incidents and emphasising the need to ensure religious freedoms of minority communities,” the DSGMC stated.

How has Pakistan responded?

Pakistan’s Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has taken notice of the matter following the protests, PTI reported.

Nawaz assured the government was fully committed to protecting the fundamental rights of minorities and safeguarding their places of worship under all circumstances, Punjab Minorities Minister Ramesh Singh Arora, who visited the Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Farooqabad, told the news agency.

Announcing its immediate restoration, Arora directed the Auqaf Department to begin an inquiry into the ownership and status of the land on which Gurdwara Singh Sabha stood. He also underlined that as per initial information, the property was not registered as Auqaf land.

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“I personally inspected the site and instructed the relevant authorities to submit a fact-based report at the earliest,” he told the reporters.

What are India’s demands?

The MEA, in its statement, urged the Pakistan government to restore and rebuild the demolished parts of the Gurdwara Sahib as soon as possible.

“Its destruction, along with reports of no meaningful action being taken by local authorities or the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), is a matter of grave concern,” the MEA stated.

“The demolished portions of the Gurdwara Sahib should be restored and reconstructed at the earliest,” Jaiswal added.

Our response to media queries regarding reported demolition of 125-year-old Gurdwara in Pakistan ⬇️

🔗 https://t.co/V7QUzNwuRm pic.twitter.com/WpWGONrnIp

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 1, 2026

Underlining the continuously rising “systemic targeting of religions minorities and their places of worship in Pakistan,” the Indian government urged its neighbouring counterpart to “discharge its obligations to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of its minority communities and their places of worship.”

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It also demanded a “decisive end to the prevailing environment of sectarian violence and religious intolerance in Pakistan.”

Local traders object

However, Pakistani traders operating around the site of the gurdwara expressed their reservations over its restoration plan.

The premises of the gurdwara had remained abandoned for close to 80 years, allowing a space for several families to settle and establish multiple shops and businesses, the traders told PTI.

Highlighting that the restoration of the gurdwara could displace those families, the traders urged the Pakistani government to provide alternative housing and livelihood opportunities to affected residents if eviction became unavoidable, the report noted.