A fire broke out at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib in the Pakistani city of Hasan Abdal on Wednesday, local authorities said.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening when sparks from the ongoing welding work at the gurdwara caused the blankets kept in the vicinity to catch fire, Adnan Anjum Raja, the assistant commissioner of Hasan Abdal, said.
The fire was soon put out and caused minor damage to the gurdwara.
Construction work is underway at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib ahead of the opening of the Kartarpur corridor, when Sikhs from all across the world would visit the gurdwara on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
SAD WANTS PAK TO PROBE SABOTAGE ANGLE
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday urged Pakistani authorities to probe the sabotage angle behind the fire incident.
“It should be probed whether there was a conspiracy behind the incident, whether the fire was intentionally set. The damage to the gurdwara buiding at such a time has hurt the sentiments of Sikhs,” said SAD leader Manjinder Singh in Sirsa.
He also appealed to the gurdwara management and the local administration to restore the hall that suffered damages in the incident.
“A major portion of one of the oldest buildings at Gurdwara Panja Sahib was damaged in the fire. I appeal to the Pakistan government, gurdwara nanagement and local administration to quickly restore the building, as thousands of devotees will be visiting the place,” Sirsa said.
{{/usCountry}}“A major portion of one of the oldest buildings at Gurdwara Panja Sahib was damaged in the fire. I appeal to the Pakistan government, gurdwara nanagement and local administration to quickly restore the building, as thousands of devotees will be visiting the place,” Sirsa said.
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