Angry villagers file police complaint, protesters claim they were attacked in Jati Umra

Jati Umra is the ancestral village of Nawaz Sharif and his grandfather was laid to rest here. Members of the Sharif family keep visiting the village at regular intervals. A statement by Pakistani PM in which he denied there was a prisoner by the name of Nanak Singh in any Pakistan jail caused protest.

jati umra, nawaz sharif, nanak singh, jati umra protest, pakistani flag, Independent Student Federation, Mian Mohammad Baksh

During the protest, the men allegedly kicked the grave, removed a chadar over it, and burnt a Pakistan flag they had brought with them. (Source: Google Maps)

People of Jati Umra, a village 40 km from Amritsar, are shocked and angered by a demonstration of disrespect by members of a little known group called the Independent Student Federation (ISF) at the grave of Mian Mohammad Baksh, the grandfather of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Villagers on Tuesday said they had filed a police complaint about the fracas created by the group on Sunday. During the protest, the men allegedly kicked the grave, removed a chadar over it, and burnt a Pakistan flag they had brought with them.

Jati Umra is the ancestral village of Nawaz Sharif and his grandfather was laid to rest here. Members of the Sharif family keep visiting the village at regular intervals.That is the reason villagers was taken aback when some people drove in on Sunday afternoon and started protesting at the grave of Mian Mohammad Baksh.

The ostensible reason: a statement by Nawaz Sharif in which he denied there was a prisoner by the name of Nanak Singh in any Pakistan jail.
Nanak Singh had allegedly crossed over to Pakistan at the age of five in the late 1980s and his family in Ajnala has been demanding his repatriation. But the Pakistan Prime Minister said recently there were no records of any such person with Pakistan jail authorities.

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Jati Umra’s Sarpanch, Dilbhag Singh, said, “This is no way to protest. They may have an issue to raise with Pakistan or protest against Pakistan. But how can you disrespect the grave of anyone to lodge your protest. It is sick.” He added, “We have decided to file a police complaint against the ISF for causing disrespect to the graveyard. We want strong action to be taken against them. We were not aware about any protest. They suddenly come in cars. Two villagers were working in the field near the grave and both suspected their activity. Both objected to the slogans raised by ISF men. They were also kicking the grave and burning a flag of Pakistan. Minor damage was caused to graveyard and a chadar over it was also removed. We cannot tolerate such action. It is an insult to the whole village.”

Claiming that the village will “not allow anyone to use its land to propagate hate”, he said: “We have very good relations with Nawaz Sharif family. We are proud that Pakistan Prime Minister has roots in our village. Nawaz Sharif family also give respect and show hospitality whenever anyone from our village go to Pakistan. They have provided jobs to many youth from this village in Dubai. We always pray for good relations between India and Pakistan. We will not allow any one to exploit land of our village to propagate hate.”

Meanwhile, three days after the incident, ISF president Keshav Kohli has alleged that villagers attacked his group and raised Pakistan Zindabad slogans. “We had gone there to lodge our protest, but villagers attacked us and raised Pakistan Zindabad slogans. We have registered a police complaint with Amritsar Police Commissioner,” said Kohli.

Sarpanch Dilbhag Singh denied the allegations. “Most of the villagers were away at a local festival. Only two villagers saw them and objected. There was no attack or slogan raising by any of our villagers,” he claimed.

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