Daska gurdwara restoration gets the nod

A 10-member delegation from Auqaf authorities visited Gurdwara Pehli Pat Shahi in Daska. Evacuee trust board chairman Habibur Rehman Gillani said that the dilapidated gurdwara will be demolished and its reconstruction will be started soon.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had taken notice of the dilapidated Gurdwara Pehli Pathi Shahi in Fateh Bhandar village. MNA Syeda Noshin informed the prime minister about the state of the gurdwara, on which he the department to form a board and submit a report.

Gilani paid a surprise visit to the historic gurdwara, while Daska Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Sanghera briefed the team.

Additional Secretary Rana Shahid Saleem, Chief Engineer Haq Nawaz, Administrator Riaz Ahmed, Deputy Secretary Nadeem Dharijo, Assistant Administrator Sameera Rizvi, Assistant Engineer Nabil Ashraf, Archaeology Director Malik Masood and other officials were also present on the occasion.

The chairman was accompanied by a technical team that inspected the building and declared it depilated, after which he approved the reconstruction of the gurdwara, adding that parts and items of the building saved during demolition would be preserved. He also ordered the immediate demolition of concrete encroachments around the gurdwara.

The gurdwara was established in the memory of Guru Nanak, the spiritual leader of the Sikhs, who stayed in the region upon his return from Kashmir. The gurdwara was decorated with precious stones, marbles, windows and ornately-carved doors, however due to negligence and disrepair, the precious stones and marble were stolen. Verses were inscribed on the stones.

A three-story complex, the gurdwara saw Sikhs worshipping on the first floor, with children taught Granth on the second floor. Gradually, locals took over and started tying animals around the building, which was reported by the media and reached the attention of MNA Noshin and the prime minister. MNA Noshin said that the prime inister formed a team which would present a report later.

Locals said many Sikh pilgrims used to come here and a festival used to be organised annually.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2022.