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Storm damages two domes of newly-built structure at Kartarpur gurdwara
Local sources in Islamabad confirmed the social media reports but stated that the centuries-old sanctum sanctorum is safe.
Two domes of the newly-built structure in the complex of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, collapsed during rain and thunderstorm on Friday evening, pictures of which went viral on Twitter on Saturday evening.
Local sources in Islamabad confirmed the social media reports but stated that the centuries-old sanctum sanctorum is safe.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjinder Singh Sirsa, in a tweet stated, “It is sad to see the damage to the domes of the gurdwara. The domes should be repaired…I humbly urge Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar to address the issue of damage done to dome gurdwara due to storm. Construction of a Gurdwara Sahib is not the work of government, it should have been given to Kar Sewa committee or Sangat in the very first place.”
Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Satwant Singh said, “Damage amid this kind of weather conditions is not abnormal thing. The thunderstorm also caused damage at many other places in Pakistan. However, it is being projected as a big issue by a section of electronic media in India. We have got these domes repaired and are affixing them on their places very soon on the periphery of the gurdwara”.
A long pending demand of the Indian Sikh community, a 4-km long corridor was opened on November 9 last year from Dera Baba Nanak, a town situated along international border in India side, to Kartarpur which is the last resting place of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak.The corridor is closed following the Covid-19 outbreak.
