Patiala, September 23
Patiala Foundation, an Indian non-governmental organisation in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), has raised concerns regarding the protection of Sikh, Hindu and other minority religious heritage sites in Pakistan during the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The Foundation’s written submission has been officially circulated by the United Nations under document symbol A/HRC/63/NGO/5. Titled “Protection of Religious Minority Heritage Sites in Pakistan: The Case for Sustained Council Attention,” the statement was issued under Agenda Item 4, concerning human rights situations that require the Council’s attention.
Patiala Foundation also made an oral intervention during the General Debate under Agenda Item 4 on 22 September 2026. The Foundation was included in the official list of speakers for the debate and participated in person at the Human Rights Council session.
The intervention was delivered on behalf of Patiala Foundation by its Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ravee Singh Ahluwalia.
In its written and oral interventions, Patiala Foundation drew attention to publicly reported findings placed before Pakistan’s own Parliamentary Committee on the Minority Caucus, according to which only 37 of approximately 1,800 Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras were reported to remain functional. The Foundation underlined concerns regarding the preservation, management and protection of minority religious places of worship and heritage sites.
The Foundation also referred to international concerns relating to persecution, attacks on places of worship, forced conversion and the vulnerability of religious minorities. Its UN statement referenced the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2025 Annual Report on Pakistan and the 11 April 2024 statement of United Nations human rights experts concerning the continued vulnerability of Christian and Hindu girls to forced religious conversion, abduction and forced marriage.
The statement additionally highlighted the reported demolition in July 2026 of the 125-year-old Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Farooqabad, near Lahore. Patiala Foundation submitted that the protection of minority religious heritage must be evaluated through preservation, accountability and equal custodianship.
Speaking on the occasion, Ravee Singh Ahluwalia, Founder & CEO, Patiala Foundation, said, “Sikh, Hindu, Christian and other minority heritage sites are not merely physical structures. They are living spaces of faith, memory, identity and community continuity. Their protection is inseparable from the right of every individual and community to practise, preserve and transmit their faith and culture with dignity.”
He added, “Through our intervention at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Patiala Foundation has called for constructive engagement, credible accountability and meaningful protection of minority communities and their sacred heritage. Heritage protection is a human-rights issue, because the loss of a sacred site can also mean the loss of access, identity, memory and dignity for an entire community.”
Patiala Foundation urged the Human Rights Council to encourage the Government of Pakistan to implement the recommendations of its Parliamentary Committee on the Minority Caucus; strengthen oversight and accountability in the management of minority religious properties; investigate reported cases of demolition, encroachment and desecration; restore damaged sites in consultation with affected communities; and ensure the direct participation of Sikh, Hindu and other minority communities in the protection and stewardship of their sacred places.
The written statement was received by the UN Secretary-General on 3 August 2026 and circulated in accordance with ECOSOC resolution 1996/31 under the official UN symbol A/HRC/63/NGO/5.
Patiala Foundation stated that its engagement at the UN Human Rights Council reflects its commitment to advancing evidence-based dialogue on freedom of religion or belief, minority rights, cultural rights, heritage preservation, human dignity and equal citizenship.