Hours after Pakistan officially took full control of the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Punjab province’s Narowal district; India termed the decision as “unilateral” saying the decision hurts the feelings of the Sikh community. This decision is against the spirit of Kartarpur Corridor and exposes the reality of the Imran Khan-led PTI government, said the MEA.
In its statement, the MEA condemning the unilateral decision by Pakistan said it runs against the spirit of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor as also the religious sentiments of the Sikh community at large.
Meanwhile, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee in a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar strongly condemned the decision of Pakistan government calling it direct interference in Gurudwara affairs adding there is no precedent in this regard.
“It is pertinent to mention that Gurudwara affairs are run according to Sikh Rehat Maryada. There is no Sikh representative in the proposed Project Management Unit in which Additional Secretary, Janab Tariq Khan has been appointed as CEO and 8 other members have nominated, all of them are non-Sikh with no knowledge of Sikh Rehat Maryada and Sikhism. We request you to kindly take up this matter immediately with Pakistan government abotu stopping unwanted interference in Gurudwara affairs,” the letter read.
‘Unilateral decision against the spirit of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor’
“We have received representations from the Sikh community expressing grave concern at this decision by Pakistan targeting the rights of the minority Sikh community in Pakistan,” it said.
It further said that this arbitrary decision only exposes the reality of the Pakistani government and its leadership’s tall claims of preserving and protecting the rights and welfare of the religious minority communities.
“Pakistan is called upon to reverse its arbitrary decision to deprive the Sikh minority community it’s right to manage affairs of the Holy Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib,” the MEA said.
‘Exposes the reality of the Imran Khan-led PTI govt’
According to a notification issued on November 3, after approval of the Economic Coordination Committee of Cabinet, Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) set up the PMU Kartapur Sahib which will be a self-financing body for the management and maintenance of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib under the administrative control of ETPB.
This decision by Pakistan’s government comes days ahead of the first anniversary of the inauguration of the historic Kartarpur Corridor on November 9. The 4-km long corridor connects Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur in India to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. Reacting on the development, Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa strongly condemned the decision and called for restoring the right of ‘sewa’ to PSGPC.
Source: Times Now
