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What to know about 125-year-old Gurdwara Singh Sabha demolished in Pakistan
The Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib is a decades-old historic shrine located in Farooqabad, some 70 kms from Lahore.
A 125-year-old historic gurdwara was demolished in Pakistan's Punjab province by a local businessman, sparking protests by the minority Sikh community in the area. The act drew criticism from India, which strongly condemned it as “highly deplorable and targeted act of vandalism” against the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib – a revered Sikh shrine.
Following reports of the vandalism, a delegation from the the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) met officials from the ministry of external affairs. They submitted a memorandum, requesting the government to ensure no further demolition or damage is caused to the gurdwara, news agency PTI reported.
What do we know about the gurdwara?
The Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib is a decades-old historic shrine located in Farooqabad, some 70 kms from Lahore. Punjab minorities minister Ramesh Singh Arora, who announced the immediate restoration of the gurdwara, directed the Auqaf Department to immediately conduct an inquiry into the ownership and status of the land on which it stood, according to PTI.
Arora said initial information suggested the property was not registered as Auqaf land. The 125-year-old shrine holds historical significance as an important site associated with the Singh Sabha Movement, a Sikh reform movement that emerged in the late 19th century.
According to an official cited by the news agency, the business demolised the shrine without obtaining the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the department concerned. “The department has not taken notice of it till the Sikhs of the area protested,” the official added.
Punjab minister Arora visited the site and announced the gurdwara's restoration, saying the Pakistani province's chief minister Maryam had made it clear that the government was fully committed to protecting the fundamental rights of minorities. "I personally inspected the site and instructed the relevant authorities to submit a fact-based report at the earliest," he said.
'Deplorable, not isolated': India condemns incident
India strongly condemned the incident on Wednesday, with ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal urging Islamabad to investigate the incident. Jaiswal further urged Pakistan to restore the damaged portions of the gurdwara, and ensure the safety and well-being of religious minorities.
“We have seen the deeply distressing reports regarding the demolition of the historic 125-year-old sacred Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Farooqabad, Pakistan,” a statement by the MEA said. “Its destruction, along with reports of no meaningful action being taken by local authorities or the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), is a matter of grave concern,” the ministry added.
The MEA flagged that this was not an “isolated” incident and and reflected what it described as the continued targeting of religious minorities and their places of worship in Pakistan.
