Pakistan govt takes away management rights of Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib from PSGPC
In a shocking development, the Pakistan government led by Imran Khan has snatched away the management rights of Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib from Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC).
The Pakistan government on November 3 (Tuesday) took away the full control of Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib from Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and gave it to Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), a Muslim body.
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As per the report, the ETPB controls the religious properties and shrines of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan.
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The development comes days ahead of the first anniversary of the inauguration of the historic Kartarpur Corridor on November 9.
The 4-km long corridor links Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur in India to Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan - the resting place of Sikh faith's founder Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
On November 9 last year, the Pakistan PM Imran Khan had inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor as part of the commemoration of the 550th Parkash Purb of Sikh faith founder Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
An official order on November 3 read, "Consequent upon the approval of Project Management Unit (PMU) Kartarpur Corridor by ECC of the Cabinet, and ratified by the Cabinet (conveyed by MoRA...dated 23.10.2020), the competent authority has been pleased to establish Project Management Unit (PMU), a self-financing body, for Management and Maintenance of Gurdwara Dardar Sahib Kartarpur (GADSK) under the administrative control of ETPB."
Reportedly, it further listed 9 officials and staff members who have been posted at PMU at Kartarpur Narowal to implement the Project Business Plan.
The officials are-- Muhammad Tariq Khan, AS Shrines, ETPB as Chief Executive Officer OPS (additional charge); Abdullah Awais, Assistant Administrator as Deputy Secretary Admn/ Finance OPS; Haider Muktar, Accountant; ETPB as Assistant Accounts Officer; Ahsan Khan, ASO, ETPB as Security Officer; Haider All Bangash, Computer Operator, ETPB; Khushnood Shoukat, UDC (Survey), ETPB; Arshad Guijar, LDC (Accounts), ETPB; Adil Ali, Naib Qasid, ETP and Tanveer Ahmed, Driver, ETPB.
Responding to the same, Delhi Sikh Management Gurdwara Committee (DSGMC) President Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that "Disgusted & shocked! The management of Gurdwara Sahib & Langar snatched from Sikhs in Pak & given to an Islamic organization Gurdwara Sahibs have always been managed by Sikhs but dictatorial Pakistan governement has given this Sewa to non-Sikhs who have no understanding of Sikh Maryada."
"On behalf of global Sikh community, we strongly condemn this move & demand restoring the right of Sewa back to PSGPC. This move is not acceptable to Sikhs and we request External Affairs Minister of India, S Jaishankar Ji, to take up this issue at the very earliest with Pakistan," he added.
-PTC News