Last wish of 426 deceased Hindus to be fulfilled

Ashes to be transported by families for immersion in Ganges River

KARACHI:

For the first time, the ashes of 426 cremated Hindus are expected to be immersed in the Ganges River in Haridwar, India, by their family members after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government revised the sponsorship policy for Pakistani Hindus.

The ashes are currently kept at the Hindu temples and crematoriums in Karachi.

According to the Hindu beliefs, if a deceased's ashes are laid in the Ganges Haridwar, their soul will be transported to heaven and escape the cycle of rebirth.

In a culture that believes in reincarnation, this concept called moksha (emancipation), is profound.

Haridwar is an ancient city and important Hindu pilgrimage site in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, where the Ganges River exits the Himalayan foothills.

The Modi government did not allow entry to Pakistani Hindu pilgrims without any sponsorship from India, but now New Delhi has indicated that a 10-day visa would be issued to the family members of a dead Hindu to travel to India to immerse the ashes of their loved ones in the Ganges River.

Between 2011 and 2016, the ashes of as many as 295 cremated Hindus had been sent to the Wagah border between Pakistan and India in the company of servants.

But it would be the first time that a blood relation would carry the ashes to Haridwar.

This is a welcome development because until now getting an Indian visa used to be next to impossible for the Hindus living in Pakistan.

In Karachi, Soldier Bazaar and Ranchore Line have sizable Hindu communities who have been living here since long before the Partition of the Subcontinent. Some estimates put their numbers between 100,000 and 150,000. Another nearly half a million Hindus live in Kunri, Nagarparkar, and Islamkot, in Tharparkar District.

Until now, Pakistani Hindus would cremate their dead and keep the ashes in the temple or at crematoriums in the hope that one day they would be able to immerse them in the Ganges River.

As per the Indian government policy, a blood relative could be issued a visa to carry the ashes to Haridwar only if a family member from India or an acquaintance settled there could sponsor them which most Pakistani Hindus do not have.

"For this reason, the ashes of hundreds of Hindus are being kept various temples and crematoriums across Pakistan because they had wished for laying their ashes after cremation in the Holy Ganges River," Ram Nath, from Shri Panchmukhi Hanuman Mandir, in Soldier Bazaar, told The Express Tribune.

The Ashtis (ashes) of 300 Hindus are being kept in the Asthi Kulash Palace of Sonpuri Crematorium near Old Golimar, in Karachi.

These Asthis were entrusted to Maharaj Shri Ram Nath, the casket holder of Shri Panjmukhi Hanuman Temple in Soldier Bazaar, by their families.

Moreover, there are another 128 Asthis.

The families hoped that one day the ashes of their loved ones would be transported to Haridwar, India, for immersion in the holy river.

Shri Ram Nath said that negotiation had been going on with the Indian High Commission in Pakistan since long.

"Now, they have given us the good news that the sponsorship condition will be ended," he added.

"The family members of a cremated Hindu will be issued a 10-day visa by the Indian High Commission."

Shri Ram Nath said that it is a fundamental right of every Pakistani Hindu to fulfill the last wishes of their loved ones and India should also honor this right.

He added that it would be the third time that ashes of cremated Hindus would be transported to India, but this time it would be different because members of each bereaved family would carry the ashes to Haridwar to immerse them in the holy water