AMRITSAR:

, an Indian Sikh women, changed her name to

after embracing Islam and married a man based in Lahore on her own will. Now, a section of Sikhs in Pakistan have opposed her ‘amorous escapade’ on the pretext of a pilgrimage.

They are demanding that the Pakistan government send her back to India at the earliest.

On Friday morning, some Sikhs of Peshawar in

province of Pakistan held an emergency meeting at Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh under the aegis of Sikh Sangat Pakistan, which was also attended by local human right activists.

They not only demanded Amna Bibi’s deportation to India but also questioned the silence of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), president of Sikh Sangat Radesh Singh Tony told TOI after the meeting.

“We are of the view that this woman has brought a bad name to the

and if she is allowed to stay back in Pakistan it could set a wrong precedent and encourage others also in the future,“ said Radesh.

Notably, the 31-year-old woman, a resident of Garhshankar in

district in Punjab, was part of the Indian Sikh Jatha led by SGPC that was visiting Pakistan to celebrate the Baisakhi festival. The group entered Pakistan via the Attari land border on April 12. Kiran, who was a widow, had lefther three children, including two boys and a girl, back home.

Four days after arriving in Pakistan, on April 16, the woman, went to the Lahore-based Dar-ul-Ulaoom Naeemia where she converted to Islam and was christened Amna Bibi .

She then married one Muhammad Azam, a resident of Lahore. On the same day, shei wrote a letter to Pakistan’s ministry of interior seeking an extension of her visa, alleging threat to her life back home.

Radesh said embracing another religion or having a love affair with a person of another country was her personal issue, but she had used the Sikh Jatha as the medium to arrive in Pakistan, which was highly objectionable.

Radesh also expressed his surprise as why the PSGPC and SGPC were silent on the issue and felt they should make their stand clear.

Mohammad Wasim, a rights activist, said “We don’t mind her embracing Islam and marrying a Lahore man, but now she should return to India and then come back on the relevant visa if she wishes,” adding that if she was provided a safe haven in Pakistan it would encourage others to do the same, especially in the era of the internet where connectivity was no longer restricted by borders.

Joginder Singh, a member of Sikh Sangat, Pakistan, said religious groups, be it of Sikhs, Hindus or Muslims, should not be allowed to come under the shadow of suspicion on account of a personal matter. “Now every Jatha will be seen with suspicion. It has to be nipped in the bud and this lady should be sent back.”