QUETTA:
A 200-year-old Gurdwara has been handed over to the Sikh community in Quetta, allowing them to continue their religious practices.
After partition the ancient Gurdwara building was converted into a government school for girls.
"The historical Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha on Masjid Road in central Quetta has been restored after 73 years. The most famous and historic place of worship is around 200 years old and had been converted into a government school after partition," Provincial Parliamentary Secretary for Minority Affairs Dhanesh Kumar said.
The 14,000 square feet Gurdwara is worth billions of rupees but the government chose to hand it over to Sikh brothers instead of using the building for any other purpose, Kumar added.
The Students of Apwa Girls High School have been allowed to take admission in a nearby girls’ school so that re-converting the school into a Gurdwara does not inflict any harm to the education of students.
Earlier in February this year, the Balochistan government handed over a 200-year-old temple to the minority Hindu community in district Zhob.
Sardar Jasbeer Singh, chairman of the Sikh community in Balochistan, expressed happiness over the restoration of the Gurdwara, calling it a gift from the government to the Sikh community living in Balochistan.
"Sikh community of the province is very pleased that our ancient Gurdwara has been handed over to the Sikh community by the Government of Pakistan and the Balochistan High Court after 73 years and now we are able to continue our religious practice,” he said. “The Sikh community from all over Pakistan and the rest of the world appreciated this initiative.”
It is pertinent to note that there are about 2,000 Sikh families living in Quetta, Dera Bugti, Osta Muhammad and Pashtun areas of the province.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2020.
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