Qatar has returned two swaroops or copies of the Guru Granth Sahib after India informed them about the seizure of the holy documents recently.
The copies have been returned to the Indian Embassy in Doha.
" Qatar authorities have today handed over to our Embassy in Doha Sri Guru Granth Sahib (two Saroops) taken from an Indian national in a case related to running a religious establishment without approvals. We thank the Government of Qatar for the same," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
"We also appeal to all Indian citizens residing in Qatar or other countries to scrupulously follow local laws and regulations in all matters," the statement said.
The incident occurred in 2023 when Qatari authorities had confiscated two swaroops of the holy book of the Sikhs from two individuals accused of operating a religious establishment without their approval, media reports said.
Harjinder Singh Dhami, president, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), earlier urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Indian Ambassador in Qatar to intervene and ensure release of the swaroops.
Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal wrote a letter to the minister last week regarding the same, reported The Indian Express.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.