India‘s hate spares no one

’New Delhi prevents devotees from visiting revered saint’s shrine

LAHORE: India’s animosity spares no one. The burgeoning list of victims now includes the shrine of Sanjha Peer - Hazrat Baba Gulab Shah. For decades, the final resting place of Baba Gulab Shah has invited not just Muslims, but a mix of people cutting across all the differences of caste, creed, cultures, and religions. Situated along the international border between the two countries, the shrine has become the latest victim of India’s stern policies against Pakistan and its citizens. “India does not allow devotees to visit the shrine. We can only view the revered saint’s dargah (shrine) from the other side of the fence,” said one devotee. “The policies of hatred from New Delhi have deprived us of Sanjha Peer,” he claimed.

According to one visitor, the saint arrived in India more than 300 years ago. “He came to India to preach,” he said. In India, he said, a Hindu landlord gave the saint space to live. “That became his final resting place,” he added. His Hindu landlord, according to the devotees, embraced Islam and is also buried near the saint. According to residents, the shrine, equally divided between Pakistan and India at the time of partition, is now a victim of Indian Prime Minister Modi’s hate. Divided by the international border between the two countries and guarded heavily by security forces, access to the shrine is restricted on the Indian side. “Regardless of the tension between the two countries, devotees believe, the Indian government should allow unrestricted access to the shrine,” urged one visitor. While India prevents devotees from visiting the shrine, Pakistan allows visitors on its side.

The shrine is a popular site every Thursday when scores of devotees visit to offer their respect on the Pakistani side.

However, the Indian side remains deserted. Despite tensions, Pakistan, last year, opened its doors for the Sikh community to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, one of the holiest places in Sikhism. Located around 4km from the border with India, the temple was inaccessible to Sikh pilgrims due to growing tensions between the two countries. For decades, Sikh pilgrims had to be content with viewing it through binoculars from India.

Pilgrims who wish to visit Sanjha Peer hope India would one day make it easy for them to visit the other side. “Pious people belong to everyone,” said one pilgrim who visits the shrine regularly. “India must lift the restrictions,” he added. Since taking the reins of power in India, Prime Minister Modi has made nationalism the cornerstone of his agenda. Aimed at pleasing his Hindu voter base, Modi’s policies, according to analysts, are mostly anti-Muslim.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 1^st, 2020.