Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj Calls for Unity, Justice for Sikh Prisoners and Reopening of Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor at 1947 Partition Ardas
AMRITSAR The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) today organised an Ardas ceremony at Sri Akal Takht Sahib in memory of all Punjabis who were martyred during the carnage and Partition of Punjab in August 1947.
Addressing the Sangat (congregation), Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj said that our elders have described the 1947 Partition as the “ruination of Punjab”, during which more than one million Punjabis were massacred.
He said Giani Sohan Singh Seetal’s book Punjab Da Ujaara records numerous incidents from the time of Partition and provides an account of what happened during those tragic days. He said an Ardas was offered before the Guru Sahib at Sri Akal Takht Sahib in memory of all Punjabis martyred in the 1947 carnage, praying that such a time never returns.
Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj said Sikhs offer daily prayers for open access to and darshan (paying obeisance) of the sacred Gurdwaras that were separated from the Khalsa Panth.
He said the 1947 Partition separated Sikhs from their beloved Gurdwaras, while they were also forced to leave their homes and lands. “The Sikh community still carries the same sentiment that it should continue to have open access to its Gurdwaras. We have full faith that the Guru Sahib will fulfil this Ardas,” he said.
The Jathedar said that Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor has also remained closed for nearly one-and-a-half years and asked the governments of India and Pakistan to hold dialogue and reopen the Corridor without delay in accordance with Sikh sentiments. He said that when Sikh devotees travel in jathas to Sri Nankana Sahib on the occasion of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Prakash Gurpurb (birth anniversary) under the bilateral agreement, a large number of devotees wish to undertake the pilgrimage.
He said the SGPC had recently received passports for Sikh jathas in record numbers and asked both the governments to seriously consider increasing the quota of pilgrims allowed in the Sikh jathas.
Jathedar Gargajj also called for the release of Sikh prisoners who have completed their sentences and resolution of issues concerning them. Referring to the case regarding commutation of the death sentence of Zinda Shaheed, Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana and the issue of a meeting between Jathedar Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara and his elderly and ailing mother, Bibi Narinder Kaur, the Jathedar said that governments discriminate against Sikhs. He said Sikhs had faced imprisonment and executions even before 1947 and continue to remain incarcerated today.
Jathedar Gargajj said the “so-called dera chief” Gurmeet Ram Rahim is granted parole several times a year, whereas a “dual policy” is adopted when it comes to Sikh prisoners. He alleged that this amounted to discrimination against the Sikh community.
The Jathedar also rejected the narrative that there are divisions among Sikhs. He said differences existed even during the period of the Sikh misls, but whenever the interests of the community and Guru Sahib were involved, all Jathebandis stood united. He said the recent acts of attacks inside Gurdwaras are wrong and not in the interests of the Khalsa Panth.
Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj said Sikhi has high principles and high moral character, and stressed the need to adopt the values bestowed by the Sikh Gurus. He called upon the community to avoid internal conflict and move forward collectively under the guidance of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, established by Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib.
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