ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's foreign office on Thursday rejected Indian reports that the Pakistani Sikh community had been deprived of control over the Kartarpur gurdwara, one of the holiest shrines of Sikhism.
India's foreign ministry on Thursday said that it had received complaints from members of the Sikh community that Pakistan had transferred control of the gurdwara from a Sikh body to a separate trust, which was against "the religious sentiments of the Sikh community at large."
In response, the Pakistani foreign office issued a statement saying that "any insinuations regarding 'transferring' the affairs of the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur" from the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) to a unit of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) are not only contrary to the facts but also aimed at creating religious disharmony."
ETPB is a government body that administers evacuee properties, including religious trusts, left behind by Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India in 1947 when the two countries gained independence from Britain.
"The PSGPC remains responsible for carrying out rituals in Gurdwara Sahiban, including Kartarpur as per Sikh Rehat Maryada. The Project Management Unit (PMU) under the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has simply been created to facilitate the PSGPC in this regard," the foreign office said.
It added: "The Sikh community from all over the world remains greatly appreciative of the efforts made by Pakistan to complete the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Project."
In November last year, Pakistan opened a visa-free passage, the Kartarpur corridor, connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib to the border with India and allowing Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the site.
The opening of the corridor on Nov. 9, 2019 marked the first time Sikh pilgrims from India could enter Pakistan without a visa since 1947.
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur is of particular importance to the Sikh community, as it was built in tribute to Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion who established the town of Kartarpur in 1515.
Sikh body remains in control of temple in Kartarpur, Pakistan tells India
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Sikh body remains in control of temple in Kartarpur, Pakistan tells India
- Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee remains responsible for arrangements related to Sikh rituals in the country
- Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur is of particular importance to Sikhism as it was built in tribute to its founder, Guru Nanak
Pakistan urges UN Security Council to sanction separatist BLA group after recent attacks
- Separatist BLA launched attacks in multiple Balochistan cities last week, killing over 50 as per official figures
- Pakistan envoy says since Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan, BLA, other militant groups have a “new lease of life“
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Iftikhar Ahmed this week urged the Security Council to impose sanctions against the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militant group and designate it as a “terrorist” group, after its recent coordinated attacks in southwestern Balochistan province.
Pakistan’s military said on Thursday it has concluded security operations in Balochistan against separatists that was launched since Jan. 29, killing 216 militants. The military launched counteroffensive operations in Balochistan after the BLA said it launched coordinated attacks in several parts of the province last Friday and Saturday.
The attacks killed 36 civilians and 22 law enforcement and security forces personnel, Pakistan’s military said. Pakistan’s government has accused India of being involved in the attacks, charges that New Delhi has dismissed.
“We hope the Council will act swiftly to designate BLA under the 1267 sanctions regime acceding to the listing request that is currently under consideration,” Iftikhar said on Wednesday during a UNSC briefing on the topic ‘Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts.’
The 1267 sanctions regime is a UNSC program that seeks to impose sanctions on individuals and entities associated with “terrorism.”
The regime seeks to impose travel bans, freeze assets and impose an arms embargo on individuals and groups primarily associated with Al-Qaeda or the Taliban.
Ahmad said that after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, “externally sponsored and foreign-funded proxy terrorist groups” such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the BLA have got a “new lease of life.”
“Operating with virtual impunity from Afghan soil and with the active support of our eastern neighbor, these groups are responsible for heinous terrorist attacks inside Pakistan,” he said.
The Pakistani envoy said it has become imperative to prevent billions of dollars of sophisticated weapons and equipment, which were left behind by foreign forces in Afghanistan, “from falling into the hands of terrorists.”
“There must be accountability of external destabilizing actors who support, finance and arm these groups, including their proxies in Afghanistan,” Ahmad said in a veiled reference to India.
Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, mineral-rich Balochistan borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to China’s investment in the Gwadar deep-water port and other projects.
Balochistan has been the site of a decades-long insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatists seeking greater autonomy and a larger share of its natural resources.
They accuse the state of denying locals a fair share of the province’s mineral wealth, charges that are denied by the Pakistani government.
