COURTESY HT JULY 24

Two centuries old gurdwara in Pakistan’s Quetta city restored to Sikhs after 73 years

Devotees paying obeisance at the gurdwara in Quetta. After Partition, the building was used as a school for Muslim girls. AP
Associated Press

letterschd@hindustantimes.com

QUETTA : A 200-year-old Sikh temple that served as a school for Muslim girls for seven decades was returned to the Sikh community in Quetta, enabling them to worship there for the first time in 73 years, officials said on Thursday.

The gurdwara stood empty for a year or two when most Sikhs left Pakistan for neighbouring India after the British partitioned the subcontinent into separate nations in 1947, following two centuries of colonial rule.

Under the government’s guardianship, a school was later set up in the gurdwara building, which remained functional until recently, when Sikhs won a legal battle to have the property returned, temple custodian Govind Singh said. He said Sikhs living in Quetta were delighted to get back to their temple.

“This is the best gift for us. We are grateful to Pakistan and the judiciary for giving it back to us,” local Sikh leader Jasbir Singh said. “For us, it is like a dream come true.”

Jasbir Singh spoke as jubilant members of the Sikh community, adhering to social distancing rules to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, gathered at the temple to worship. The temple could not be returned to the community earlier because of a lingering legal battle between local Sikhs and the provincial government, Singh said.

Abdullah Khilji, an official at the education department in Balochistan, said hundreds of schoolgirls who were studying at the gurdwara building were relocated to a nearby school where they have since adjusted.

The development comes at a time when Pakistan’s tiny Hindu minority is facing resistance from Muslim activists for attempting to build a temple in the capital. Initially, the government approved its construction, but then reversed the decision after Muslims objected.

SGPC HAILS MOVE

The SGPC on Thursday hailed the reopening of the gurdwara. “The Pakistan government’s move is worth being hailed. We also congratulate the followers of Guru Nanak in the neighbouring country,” said Gobind Singh Longowal, SGPC chief.

With inputs from HTC Amritsar