BJP's Sisra-led delegation urges MEA to take up forced religious conversion of Sikh woman with Pakistan

New Delhi: A delegation led by BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Monday met the Ministry of External Affairs' joint secretary and urged that the government take up with Pakistan the forced religious conversion of a Sikh woman there.

Reportedly, the Sikh woman, a teacher, from Buner district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was abducted at gunpoint on August 20 and forcibly married to her abductor.

The Sikh teacher, Deena Kaur, was forced to convert to Islam for marriage, Sirsa claimed in a statement.

The delegation included Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Committee president Harmeet Singh Kalka, among others.

"We met the joint secretary of MEA and expressed concern over the forced religious conversion of the Sikh female teacher for marriage in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwah and urged for raising the issue with Pakistan," Sirsa said.

He also urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take up the issue with the Pakistan government and ensure that the woman is reunited with her family. Forced religious conversion of Hindu and Sikh girls in Pakistan has become a routine affair and the situation is worsening for minorities, Sirsa said, calling for steps for their protection.