Pakistan ready to give PSGPC to the Sikhs

[Guest Punjabi Nationalist]

Pak ready to give PSGPC to Sikhs

Varinder Walia

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 12

The Pakistan Government is willing to hand over the charge of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) to baptised Sikhs so that Sikh “rehat maryada†is restored in all Sikh shrines in Pakistan.

However, the governments of India and Pakistan will have to amend the agreement signed between Foreign Ministers of the two countries in 1955, under which religious places were declared evacuee properties.

This was stated by Bhai Harbans Lal, a former president of the Sikh Students Federation and the president of the Academy of Guru Granth Sahib Studies, USA, while talking to TNS today. Bhai Harbans Lal said the Sikh shrines could not be called “evacuee properties†as mentioned in the agreement.

He said terming gurdwaras as evacuee properties amounted to hurting Sikh sentiments. He asked whether Muslims would accept any agreement to call Mecca as an evacuee property in case they were evacuated from Saudi Arabia.

Bhai Harbans Lal said Gurdwara Nankana Sahib was Mecca for the Sikhs while Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib was their Medina. He claimed that the Pakistan Government was aware of the demand of the Sikh Panth about handing over the management of gurdwaras to Sikhs. However, bureaucratic hurdles were coming in the way of transfer of the charge of the gurdwaras.

In a related development, Mr Gyan Singh, a founder member of the PSGPC and a nominated Member of Parliament of Pakistan, has been baptised and can take active part in gurdwara politics in the future. Bhai Harbans Lal said as per “sharyatâ€, no Islamic republic could be complete unless religious places belonging to minority communities were protected.

Bhai Harbans Lal said Sikh radicals who had taken shelter in Pakistan had initially opposed the formation of the PSGPC in 1999 to mark the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa Panth.

He raised objections to the draft of the All-India Sikh Gurdwara Act to bring the control of all Sikh shrines within its ambit. He alleged that the contents of the proposed draft had been prepared on a bureaucratic pattern. Instead, local committees should be formed by religious persons to manage the gurdwaras, he stated.

Tribune - Chandigarh, Punjab

[Guest]

Thats good news!!!

[Guest Punjabi Nationalist]

Thats good news!!!

Lets just hope the SGPC or Indian government doesnt screw up this gesture made by Pakistan Punjab's Chief Minister.

[Guest]

yeah, i second dat.

Do Pakistani Gurdwarey hav Sikh scripts, writern in da days of our Gurus'? If so i hope dey dont repeat actions of 1984.

And at least we'll get Sikhs owning Gurdwarey in Pakistan unlike in india where Hindus in india own our Gurdwarey (I didnt meen it 2 sound racist, cos i didnt).

[Guest Punjabi Nationalist]

Do Pakistani Gurdwarey hav Sikh scripts, writern in da days of our Gurus'? If so i hope dey dont repeat actions of 1984.

Pakistan's Punjab province is home to some of the most historical and revered Gurdwaras. I believe most of them are currently closed and are missing a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib. However, some historical Gurdwaras such as Panja Sahib and Nankana Sahib are functioning and are visited by Sikhs from all over the World every year...

You can read some of the profiles on Gurdwaras in West Punjab from this thread http://www.sikhawareness.com/sikhawareness...opic.php?t=2028

And at least we'll get Sikhs owning Gurdwarey rather than Hindus in Pakinstan (I didnt meen it 2 sound racist, cos i didnt).

Hindus do not own any Gurdwaras in Pakistan and probably have less rights and respect than Sikhs do in that country.

The Pakistanis have not demolished the Gurdwaras in their country like they have done to the Hindu temples. I dont know where you get the impression that Hindus have ever owned the Gurdwaras in Pakistan.

[Guest]

Sorry i meant in India. Sorry bout mis-information der , im dyslexic, but i kno dat Gudwararey r owned by hindus in India, or so i've heard. I kno sum Pakistani Punjabi Muslims dat respect Sikhi.

[Mr §ingh]

they were owned by Masands

read about Saka Nankana Sahib

or listen to this Katha:

http://gurmatveechar.com/audio/Bhai_Pinder...nkana.Sahib.mp3

[Guest Punjabi Nationalist]

Sorry i meant in India. Sorry bout mis-information der , im dyslexic, but i kno dat Gudwararey r owned by hindus in India, or so i've heard. I kno sum Pakistani Punjabi Muslims dat respect Sikhi.

Gurdwaras in India are owned and maintained by the SPGC or other Gurdwara committees.

I dont know who is telling you that Gurdwaras in India are owned by Hindus but they are wrong and you should ask them to visit India before they open their mouth and poison your mind with lies and misinformation.

[Guest Punjabi Nationalist]

Centre to take up PSGPC issue with Pak

Tribune News Service

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040108/punjab1.htm#5

Amritsar, January 7

The Government of India has agreed in principle to look into the demand of the SGPC for the maintenance of Sikh shrines in Pakistan on a priority basis. The External Affairs Minister is likely to take up the matter with his Pakistani counterpart.

The SGPC had proposed sending a delegation of seven persons to Pakistan for taking up the case of the PSGPC and restoration of maryada (Sikh tradition) in gurdwaras there.

The SGPC had also proposed to visit some main Sikh shrines in Nankana Sahib, Lahore and Panja Sahib to assess their conditions.

This indication has been made in a letter written by Mr Yashwant Sinha, Minister of External Affairs, to Mr Tarlochan Singh, chairman, National Commission for Minorities (NCM).

The PSGPC was formed in April, 1999, to mark the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa Panth. However, the then SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, had stopped sending jathas to Pakistan in protest against formation of the PSGPC. The SGPC had been demanding that the control of Sikh shrines be handed over to a body led by baptised Sikhs so that ‘maryada’ could be restored in the gurdwaras there.

In a communication to the External Affairs Minister, Mr Tarlochan Singh had stated that the issue of the PSGPC had not been resolved. The NMC Chairman told Mr Sinha that the condition of Sikh shrines in Pakistan was pitiable and there was need to renovate them on priority.

Earlier, Mr Tohra had urged the NMC Chairman to take up the matter with the Government of India so that Sikh maryada could be restored in the gurdwaras of Pakistan. Mr Tohra had also expressed concern that Government of Pakistan or the PSGPC had not made sincere efforts for their proper conservation and maintenance.

[gurjit_sehmi]

Hindus in Pakistan do run Gurdwaras. Most of the Gurdwaras in the Sindh area of Pakistan are run by Nanak Panthi Hindus. Many Gurdwaras here dedicated to Guru Nanak Dev Ji

[Guest Punjabi Nationalist]

Hindus in Pakistan do run Gurdwaras. Most of the Gurdwaras in the Sindh area of Pakistan are run by Nanak Panthi Hindus. Many Gurdwaras here dedicated to Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Friend, Gurdwara's in Pakistan are owned by the PSGPC.

Sindhi Sikhs/Hindus are likely to own Mandirs rather than Gurdwara's.