India summons Pakistani diplomat after 4th attack on Sikh minority in 3 months

India on Monday summoned a senior Pakistani diplomat to the external affairs ministry to protest a string of recent attacks on the Sikh minority, including the killing of a Sikh man in Peshawar last week, people familiar with the matter said.

The people said a strong protest against the incidents was lodged with the diplomat from the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi. They said there were four instances of attacks on the Sikh minority in Pakistan between April and June.

In the latest incident, a Sikh man named Manmohan Singh was shot and killed by unidentified armed men in the Yakatoot area of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan, on Saturday, according to reports in the Pakistani media.

The killing came a day after a Sikh shopkeeper sustained minor injuries when unidentified armed men fired at him in the same area of Peshawar.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for Manmohan Singh’s killing in a statement, which described him as a follower of the “polytheistic” Sikh religion. The statement also claimed responsibility for the attack on the other Sikh man a day earlier.

The people said India has demanded that Pakistani authorities investigate the violent attacks on the Sikh minority with sincerity and share the investigation reports.

The senior Pakistani diplomat was also told that Islamabad should ensure the safety and security of the country’s minorities, “who live in constant fear of religious persecution”, one of the people cited above said.

The external affairs ministry has summoned Pakistani diplomats several times in recent years to protest against attacks on Sikh and Hindu minorities and the vandalisation of the places of worship of these communities.