PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) on Friday condemned the massacre of Army Public School Peshawar children and announced on behalf of Sikh community, it supported the government’s crackdown on terrorism in the country.

Addressing a news conference here along with leaders of different Sikh organisations, PSGPC president Sardar Shaam Singh said members of Sikh community fully supported the government’s initiatives against terrorists.

He said killing innocent people, especially schoolchildren, was a big sin and their perpetrators should not be spared. Sardar Shaam said school attackers couldn’t be called human beings and rather, they were beasts in the garb of human beings.

He said the entire Sikh community from within the country and abroad had expressed anger and shock over the school carnage. The Sikh leader said his community sympathised with grieved families and prayed for their deceased members.

Adviser to the chief minister on minority affairs Sardar Suran Singh, who was also in attendance, expressed shock and anger at Peshawar massacre and said it was unfortunate that the city of flowers had yet again seen bloodletting.

He said Sikhs had termed carnage a coward and inhuman act on part of its planners, who should be arrested and given exemplary punishment. Sardar Suran said the entire Sikh community was in mourning over the killings and condoled with the parents, who lost children in the attack.

Another Sikh leader, Gopal Singh Chaula, said special prayers were held in all gurdwaras of the country for the victims of school attack. Sikh leaders Sardar Charan Jeet Singh, Baba Jee Gopal Singh and Sahib Singh are also present on the occasion.

Later, members of Sikh community led by Sardar Suran Singh visited the Army Public School Peshawar and laid wreaths at the places, where terrorists had gunned down students.

They paid tribute to students, teachers and other school staff, and law-enforcement personnel.

Published in Dawn December 20th , 2014