3 days ago
Harsimrat urges Jaishankar to sensitise UAE on ‘kirpan' ban advisory
Bathinda SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Saturday appealed to external affairs minister S Jaishankar to sensitise the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government about the Sikh articles of faith, particularly regarding the wearing of the kirpan and kataar.
Her appeal came in response to a recent advisory issued by the Indian Embassy in the UAE, cautioning Indian citizens against carrying sharp objects in line with Article 405 of the UAE penal law.
The advisory has led to 'deep distress and mental agony' among Sikh residents and travellers, as the kirpan, a sacred article of faith, falls under the category of restricted items.
In her letter, Badal cited increasing instances of Sikhs being detained or forced to remove their kirpan and kataar in the UAE.
She referenced a recent case in which an elderly Sikh man was reportedly detained in Abu Dhabi for wearing his kirpan and turban, incidents she said have caused 'mental agony' to the global Sikh community.
'The kirpan is not a weapon of violence but a spiritual and symbolic emblem of justice and responsibility as mandated by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Denying Sikhs the right to wear their five kakkars, especially the kirpan, is a serious infringement on their religious freedom,' she said.
Badal called on the ministry of external affairs to send a high-level delegation, including members of the National Commission for Minorities and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), to hold constructive dialogue with the authorities in the UAE and international agencies. The aim would be to sensitise them about Sikh beliefs and ensure respect for religious practices.
She emphasised the positive contribution of the Sikh community globally, including in the UAE, and underlined that mutual respect for religious identity was essential in upholding India's values of pluralism and diversity.
