Probe sale of gurdwara properties: Pakistan Sikhs

  • | Thursday | 23rd February, 2017

AMRITSAR: Sikhs of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan have demanded investigation into the alleged illegal sale of gurdwara properties by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB). "Now, shopping plazas, offices and some institutions have come up on these properties, which have hurt Sikh and Hindu religious sentiments," he said. He claimed that before the Partition, there were several gurdwaras and Hindu temples across KPK but now there are hardly any. "He claimed that 2014 had been the worst year for Sikhs as well as Hindus in Pakistan as they had been attacked by Taliban for ransom. "Many were kidnapped, and a few were killed, following which many families had migrated to Punjab (Pakistan).

AMRITSAR: Sikhs of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan have demanded investigation into the alleged illegal sale of gurdwara properties by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB). They also want a member of Sikh community to manage their religious affairs, instead of a Muslim.The ETPB is a Pakistan government department entrusted with the task of managing Hindu and Sikh religious properties post-Partition.Talking to TOI on Wednesday, Peshawar-based Khalsa Peace and Justice Foundation of Pakistan's president Radesh Singh Tony alleged that majority of the land belonging to lesser known gurdwaras and Hindu temples had already been sold by the ETPB."Now, shopping plazas, offices and some institutions have come up on these properties, which have hurt Sikh and Hindu religious sentiments," he said. Pakistan government should initiate an inquiry into this, he added.According to Tony, only two prominent gurdwaras -- Bhai Joga Singh and Bhai Biba Singh -- were still open to devotees while several historical Sikh shrines had closed. He claimed that before the Partition, there were several gurdwaras and Hindu temples across KPK but now there are hardly any."A government department headed by a Muslim can take administrative decisions or make arrangements for the arrival of various jathas but it should not take decisions on religious affairs of the Sikhs," he added.To a query on Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), headed by a Sikh, taking care of religious affairs, he quipped: "Chhado tussi PSGPC baray (Forget about PSGPC). The committee is under the direct control of ETPB headed by a Muslim chairman, Siddiq-ul-Farooq."He claimed that 2014 had been the worst year for Sikhs as well as Hindus in Pakistan as they had been attacked by Taliban for ransom. "Many were kidnapped, and a few were killed, following which many families had migrated to Punjab (Pakistan). But now things are relatively better," he maintained."But now, we are scared of the Daish in Pakistan," he added. The terror group of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is also called Daish.

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