Jammu is seething with anger over the atrocities on Sikhs and other minority communities by the Taliban in Pakistan.
Jammu is seething with anger over the atrocities on Sikhs and other minority communities by the Taliban in Pakistan.
A bandh was observed in the winter capital in protest against the Taliban’s jazia demand. Jazia is a tax imposed on non-Muslims in a country under Sharia law.
Protesters marched to the UN military observers’ group (UNMOGIP) office and submitted a memorandum seeking protection of minorities in Pakistan. They also burnt tyres and raised slogans against Taliban. Some tried to smash vehicles at Satwari. Police had to resort to cane charge to disperse the mob. Inspector general of police, Jammu, K Rajendra Kumar said the situation was under control.
The bandh was called by the Jammu Bar Association and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) with the support of several social, religious and political organisations. Life was hit in Jammu city with commercial establishments remaining closed. Traffic was sparse as matadors and autos, the main modes of public transport in the city, kept off the roads. Attendance in most government offices, public sector undertakings and banks was thin. There was no response to the bandh from elsewhere in Jammu region.
“The ghost of jazia has returned to haunt Hindus and Sikhs after 400 years. This is a serious issue because minorities are feeling unsafe in Pakistan. Taiban is demanding jazia from Sikhs and those who can’t pay the tax are being targeted. The Indian government should take up the issue with Pakistan and ensure their safety,” Dr Rama Kant Dubey, state president of the VHP, said.
The VHP has decided to hold a meeting with different organisations to chalk out a strategy.
Lawyers and members of civil society also led a protest march in Jammu and submitted a memorandum to the UNMOGIP. “Taliban’s demands are in violation of the UN charter on human rights. The UN should step in and guarantee the safety of minorities in Pakistan,” Sunil Sethi, president of Jammu Bar Association, said.
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