ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has “rubbished” the Indian allegations that it attempted to target the Golden Temple in Amritsar using drones and missiles on the night of May 7-8, 2025.
Responding to the media queries on Tuesday regarding the remarks made by a senior Indian Army officer that Pakistan attempted to target the Golden Temple through drones and missiles on the intervening night of May 7 and 8, 2025, the Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson, Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan, outrightly dismissed the fabricated and unfounded accusations.
“We categorically reject the allegations that Pakistan attempted to target the Golden Temple, the most revered place in the Sikh faith. We hold all places of worship in the highest esteem and cannot think of targeting a holy site like the Golden Temple,” he added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA); however, dismissed the claims as “absolutely baseless and incorrect,” emphasizing Pakistan’s deep respect for all places of worship, particularly, those of the Sikh faith.
Pakistan is the proud custodian of many holy sites of the Sikh faith. Every year, the FO spokesperson highlighted, it welcomes thousands of Sikh pilgrims from across the world. Pakistan also provides visa-free access to the Gurdwara Sahib Kartarpur through the Kartarpur Corridor in Narowal district, bordering India since its inauguration in 2019.
“In that backdrop, any claim concerning Pakistan’s attempt to target the Golden Temple is absolutely baseless and incorrect.”
The MoFA statement further accused India of targeting religious sites in Pakistan on the night of May 6-7, calling it an “unacceptable act” and suggesting that New Delhi’s assertions were an attempt to divert attention from its own actions.
It is worth noting that the Golden Temple, Sikhism’s holiest shrine, holds immense religious and emotional significance. The 1984 Indian military operation at the site, known as Operation Blue Star, remains a highly sensitive issue. Any perceived threat to the holy site could aggravate strong reactions from Sikh communities internationally.
Furthermore, Pakistan, home to several key Sikh holy sites, tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated in recent weeks, with both sides exchanging accusations of cross-border strikes and supporting militant groups. The latest allegations risk further inflaming an already volatile situation.
In fact, it was India that targeted different places of worship in Pakistan between the night of 6 and 7 May 2025. The allegations levelled by the Indian side cannot shift attention from this unacceptable act, the spokesperson remarked. India had targeted several religious seminaries and mosques in Muzaffarabad, Muridke and Bahawalpure in pretext of “terrorist camps,” causing casualties of innocent women and children.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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