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Historic gurdwara handed over to ETPB; first in north Pakistan
A source in the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) claimed that this will be the first gurdwara in the north of Pakistan, where the Sikh diaspora will now have an opportunity to visit
Amritsar In a far-reaching development, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in Pakistan has been given possession of the Gurdwara Singh Sabha at Manshera in the north of the country for opening to local followers of Guru Nanak and the Sikh diaspora. The ETPB was established to look after the Evacuee Trust Properties/land left over by Sikh/Hindus who migrated to India during partition in 1947-48.
The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province, took the decision to hand over the gurdwara to the ETPB on July 7 (Wednesday).
A source in the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) claimed that this will be the first gurdwara in the north of Pakistan, where the Sikh diaspora will now have an opportunity to visit. An architectural masterpiece, the Kashmir Road multi-storey gurdwara built in 1905, still retains its original architecture.
“On July 7, a meeting was held in the Peshawar civil secretariat; from the ETPB, Imran Gondal, additional secretary, shrines, attended it. After thorough deliberation, special secretary, local government, KPK showed willingness to give possession back to the ETPB. The possession has been given back after 20 years,” an ETPB spokesperson claimed, adding that presently, a library is being run in the gurdwara.
A group of people wanted to destroy the gurdwara during the Partition, but failed due to the resistance of influential landlord Khan Ayub Khan. Khan believed that after the departure of Sikhs/Hindus from the region, this and other architectural places abandoned by them should be preserved as great assets of the newly-formed country.
A story published in English daily Dawn quoted Mohammad Tariq, an assistant at the library, as saying, “Sikh saint Sardar Gopal Singh Saithi of Hazro had laid the foundation stone of gurdwara in 1905.” Tariq is also quoted as saying, “This building remained under the control of several government departments for years, while a school was established here after the Partition.”
