Puri cautions Sikh youth against Pak propaganda

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 11

Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said he was a proud Sikh who took pride in the tenets of Sikhism and urged the community’s youth to be cautious against “propaganda” by entities with vested interests, including Pakistan, against India.

Wrapping up a session with visiting foreign Sikh youth before giving them a send-off, Puri said: “I am a proud Sikh. One does not choose one’s faith. I take pride in being a Sikh and in rendering ‘sewa’.”

A delegation of about 40 foreign Sikh youth from the US, UK, Germany, Singapore, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, South Africa and Australia was on a visit to India (November 5-11), courtesy the ICCR of the Ministry of External Affairs, for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak.

“Sikhism as a faith is anchored in humanism. Honest living, community and public service, prayer and meditation are the core tenets of Sikhism,” Puri said, adding that Guru Nanak also propagated the ideals of gender equality, sustainable development and respect for Mother Earth.

He said India was a pluralistic society and all faiths were flourishing. “But Pakistan, which mistreats its Ahmadiya, is trying to spread propaganda against India,” he said.