E-Paper
Historical Gurdwara Tibba Nanaksar in Pak faces neglect
Gurdwara Tibba Nanaksar Sahib in the Pakpattan area of Sahiwal district in Pakistan’s Punjab province is on the verge of turning into ruins due to the sheer neglect of the Pakistan government
Pakpattan : Gurdwara Tibba Nanaksar Sahib in the Pakpattan area of Sahiwal district in Pakistan’s Punjab province is on the verge of turning into ruins due to the sheer neglect of the Pakistan government.
The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), the government body responsible for the maintenance of shrines of minority communities and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), the apex body of Sikhs in Pakistan, fails to maintain historic Sikh shrines in Pakistan.
The gurdwara, located around 6km from Pakpattan, is associated with the first Sikh master Guru Nanak.
The shrine holds significance in Sikhism and the history of Punjab as it is believed that this is where Guru Nanak collected the verses of Baba Farid from Baba Ibrahim Farid Sani which were later incorporated in Guru Granth Sahib by Guru Arjan Dev.
While the tomb and mosque of Baba FatehUllah Shah Noori Chishti, a descendant of Baba Farid, which are within the gurdwara boundary are kept tidy with regular repairs and whitewashing, the gurdwara building has been neglected by the authorities.
The videos of the gurdwara show that its building is being used by villagers as cattle shed and its walls are plastered with cow dung cakes and rooms filled with filth and cattle feed.
Shakkarpur-based businessman and philanthropist Deva Sikandar Singh said he pleaded a number of times with the ETPB and PSGPC to let him undertake the repair/renovation and preservation work of the gurdwara, but his pleas were turned down saying that the board cannot hand over its property to any private individual and will itself undertake the work with the ministry’s approval.
A large number of religious places belonging to minority Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan remain in dilapidated condition.
