New Delhi, Aug 20: The Centre Government today held out an assurance to Sikh community that they had nothing to fear in Kashmir in the wake of reported threats to the minority community to convert to Islam or leave the Valley, an issue that triggered concern in the Parliament.
 The “threat” also evoked sharp condemnation from Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take remedial steps for the safety of the Sikhs in Kashmir. The 60,000-strong Sikh community is the single largest minority group in the Kashmir Valley.
 Home minister P Chidambaram, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Minister SM Krishna while addressing concerns voiced by NDA members in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha said nobody would be allowed to harm the Sikh community and that all necessary steps will be taken in this regard.
 Minister of state for External Affairs Preneet Kaur while terming threat as "absolutely unacceptable" asserted that the community would continue to stay in the valley.
 Chidambaram said he had spoken to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has assured him that every effort would be made to provide adequate protection to Sikhs.
 "We are aware of the so-called threat. There is nothing to fear or nothing to worry," he said in the Rajya Sabha after NDA members vociferously demanded a statement from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the reported threat after forcing two brief adjournments of the House on the issue.
 Chidambaram said "nobody will be allowed to harm the Sikh community."
 The Chief Minister had assured him that "rights of Sikhs would be fully protected and no harm would be allowed to come to them," he said.
 Sikhs in the Kashmir Valley have reportedly received anonymous letters asking them to either embrace Islam and join the protests against civilian killings or pack up and leave the valley.
 Earlier, Akali Dal member Rattan Singh Ajnala raised the issue of threats to Sikhs in the Lok Sabha before the Question Hour asserting that his community members may choose to die than convert to Islam.
 After Ajnala's emotional outburst in the House, Mirza Mehboob Beg (National Conference) termed the threat as against the ethos of Kashmir.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST