Pakistan: Gurdwara Demolished; Asserts Rights on Indus Waters

July

2026

A 125-year-old Gurdwara in Farooqabad, east Panjab, Pakistan was demolished on 24 Jun night. An official said, 'A local businessman had demolished the Gurdwara without obtaining the required No Objection Certificate.' On 1 Jul, East Panjab Minorities Minister Ramesh Singh Arora visited the Gurdwara Singh Sabha’s site in Farooqabad and announced its immediate restoration. Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal said, 'We strongly condemn this highly deplorable and targeted act of vandalism against a revered Sikh shrine. Its destruction, along with reports of no meaningful action being taken by local authorities or the Evacuee Trust Property Board, is a matter of grave concern.' Delhi’s Bharatiya Janata Party minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, 'It is regrettable that Pakistan, a country that goes around the world guaranteeing the safety of minorities, has not only allowed the encroachment of numerous Gurdwaras but has also converted them into markets.' Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Coordinator for the National Paigham-e-Aman (Message of Love) Committee, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, announced the reconstruction and preservation of the Gurdwara. Concurrently, upon a delayed and reduced monsoon in the Indian subcontinent and India withholding water from Pakistan’s rivers, Pakistan organized an international conference on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) on 30 Jun. At the conference, Pakistan's Member of the National Assembly, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, said Pakistan wanted 'peace with dignity' and 'dialogue under law' as he accused India of undermining the IWT. He added, 'We want coexistence, but not submission. Pakistan will defend its water, its people, its treaty, its sovereignty, and its future.' Referring to the IWT, Bilawal said, 'The Indus is not a pressure point. The Indus is not a bargaining chip. The Indus is not a weapon to be placed in India’s hands. The Indus is a lifeline of Pakistan. Any attempt to turn that lifeline into a noose must be treated as a threat to the survival of our state.' Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who addressed the conference, described the IWT as 'not merely a water-sharing arrangement but a vital instrument of regional peace, stability, and cooperation'. India has said IWT will remain in abeyance until Pakistan ‘credibly and irrevocably’ stops supporting cross-border terrorism (earlier coverage).