ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday strongly rejected allegations made by a senior Indian military officer that Pakistan had planned to target the Golden Temple, calling the claim “completely baseless and false.
Responding to media queries regarding the accusations, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan categorically rejected the “irresponsible and unfounded” remarks, terming them part of a deliberate campaign to malign Pakistan and divert attention from India’s questionable actions. “Such baseless allegations cannot and will not divert attention from India’s unacceptable act of targeting religious sites in Pakistan,” the spokesperson stated, referring to the incidents of May 06 and 07 when, according to Pakistan, places of worship were targeted by India. The FO spokesperson underscored that Pakistan takes immense pride in being the custodian of numerous holy sites of Sikhism. “We host thousands of Sikh pilgrims from around the world each year and have facilitated visa-free access to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib through the Kartarpur Corridor — a gesture that reflects our deep respect for religious freedoms and interfaith harmony.”
The spokesperson reiterated that the allegation of a planned attack on the Golden Temple was “not only false but also a reckless attempt to incite religious sentiments and sow discord.” Meanwhile, Giani Amarjit Singh, the chief of the Golden Temple, refuted the Indian Army’s claim of having installed air defence guns at the Sikh holy site during recent tensions with Pakistan. “The claim is completely false,” Amarjit Singh said in a statement. “No such permission was granted to the Indian Army to place weapons at the Golden Temple.”
He added that while Indian authorities did instruct the management to switch off external lighting as a precaution, the sanctity of the worship site was maintained. “Lights outside the premises were turned off, but the religious spaces remained illuminated and functional. Worship continued uninterrupted,” he said. Amarjit Singh questioned the motives behind the Indian Army’s claim, asking, “Why make such a claim now? What is the intention behind this misinformation?” Earlier, the Indian Army’s Director General of Air Defence had publicly stated that air defence guns were deployed at the Golden Temple in anticipation of a Pakistani attack, a claim now contradicted by local religious authorities.
Read also: Firing of Indian missile on Sick minority needs Global attention: Atta Tarar
