Transfer of Granth Sahib’s copies to India stopped

Rare manuscripts to be kept in Kartarpur museum

LAHORE:

Transport of decayed copies of Guru Granth Sahib to India was stopped at the last moment on Monday after objection by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC).

Officials told The Express Tribune that the last rites of some rare copies had been planned in India.

A delegation of Pakistani Sikhs has left for India without these copies.

The officials said more than 200 manuscripts of the Sikh holy book were to be sent to India so that they could be cremated.

A 44-member group of Pakistani Sikhs headed by Sardar Harbjan Singh from Sindh left for India on Monday.

The delegation had planned go to Delhi with more than 200 decayed copies of the Guru Granth Sahib, where preparations had been made for their last rites.

However, after the objection of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the delegation could not get the permission to take the copies with them.

The copies had been collected from Gurdwaras in Kashmore, Dharki, Jacobabad, Hyderabad, Karachi and other cities.

PSGPC chief Sardar Amir Singh said a local Sikh association was taking the copies of the holy book to India without seeking permission from the organization, which had received reports that that they included some handwritten manuscripts that were are of great historical importance.

He said all the manuscripts would be examined at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.

The historical manuscripts will be preserved in the Sikh History Museum built in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, while the last rites of the rest of the copies will be performed in Kartarpur.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2023.