Sikh pilgrims to arrive for death anniversaries of Guru Arjun Dev Ji, Ranjit Singh
Sikh pilgrims from various countries are due to begin arriving in Pakistan on June 8 to commemorate the death anniversaries of Guru Arjun Dev Ji and Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
India’s Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Delhi Committee have once again refused to come to Pakistan due to differences over the “Nanak Shahi” calendar and instead observed the death anniversary on May 23.
In Pakistan, the death anniversary of Sikh Guru Arjun Dev Ji is to be observed on June 16 at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore whereas the Urs of Maharaja Ranjit Singh is to be observed on June 29.
Guru Arjun Dev Ji is the fifth Guru of the community. He was born in 1563 and was anointed as a Guru after the death of his father Guru Ram Das Ji in 1581, when he was 18 years of age. In 1606, under the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir, Guru Arjun Dev Ji was held captive and he passed away in the same year due to extreme torture.
Although legend has it that Guru Arjun Dev Ji was allowed to take a bath in River Ravi shortly after being imprisoned. As thousands watched him take a holy dip, the Guru entered the river and never emerged out of the water. The place in River Ravi where Guru Arjun Dev Ji is believed to have died has been preserved and is marked by a well built there.
Some historians believe that Guru Arjun Dev Ji was captured by Jahangir for supporting Jahangir’s son Khusro, who was rebelling against his father for accession to the throne. Meanwhile, according to Sikh tradition, one of Jahangir’s Hindu advisors, namely Chand Vimal, wished to get his daughter married to Guru Arjun Dev Ji’s son, and when the Guru refused to accept the proposal, the Hindu advisor incited Jahangir against the Sikh guru and conspired against him.
According to Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee head Sardar Amir Singh, the Urs of Guru Arjun Dev Ji will be held on June 16. Singh said that different sangats, including from India, will be arriving from abroad but the number of foreigners who will be visiting cannot be confirmed just yet.
The guests from India are to arrive on June 8 through the Wagah Border and are slated to return back on June 18. Another group from India is to arrive on June 21 for the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, said Amir Singh, adding that the main event for this will be held on June 29 and the Indian visitors will return back to their country the following day.
UN representatives write letter
Four special representatives of the United Nations have written to the government of Pakistan, highlighting increasing atrocities against minority communities, including the Ahmadiyya religious minority.
The UN representatives who penned the letter include Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Margaret Satterthwaite and Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Nazila Ghanea.
The UN rapporteurs have expressed concern over violence, discrimination, hate speech and attacks on places of worship. The letter brings on record a rise in incidents of violence - verbal and physical - against the Ahmadiyya community and their places of worship as witnessed in 2022 and in 2023 thus far.
According to the letter, in 2022, a senior cleric of a right-wing religious party incited physical violence against Ahmadiyya pregnant women to “make sure that no new Ahmadis are born”.
Moreover, the letter records incidents including an uptick in hateful rhetoric against the Ahmadiyya community on social media and WhatsApp groups, as well as a series of attacks on Ahmadi places of worship from December 2022 till date. According to the letter, graveyards belonging to the minority community were also desecrated. These incidents were preceded by violent statements made by anti-Ahmadi activists, states the letter.
Meanwhile, according to the UN representatives, in Punjab, the District Bar Council of Gujranwala issued a notice on March 7, 2023, stating that lawyers who wish to be admitted to the Bar Council must provide an affidavit condemning the founder of the Ahmadiyya community.
The letter condemns all such acts that encroach upon the rights and liberties with regard to freedom of religion and free speech and reminded the government of the Supreme Court’s 2014 suo moto judgement which issued directives towards safeguarding the rights of religious minorities.
The UN representatives referred to the international human rights law and acting upon their responsibility under mandates provided by the Human Rights Council sought a reply from the government within 60 days on measures taken to prevent such incidents and ensure the protection of minority places of worship in the country.
The letter highlights several international conventions that Pakistan is part of as well as the country’s past record where it has failed to ensure the protection of its minorities. It warns that past the 60 days deadline, the letter and any form of communication received by the government would be made public and would be included in the rapporteurs’ usual report to the Human Rights Council.