Lahore: A decades-old historic gurdwara was demolished by a local businessman in Pakistan’s Punjab province, sparking protests from the minority Sikh community, officials said on Wednesday.
According to an official of the Punjab government, the historic Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Farooqabad, some 70 kms from Lahore, was recently demolished by a local businessman.
“The businessman had demolished the gurdwara without obtaining the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the department concerned. The department has not taken notice of it till the Sikhs of the area protested,” the official told PTI.
He said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took notice of the matter following a protest by the Sikh community in the area. On Wednesday, Punjab Minorities Minister Ramesh Singh Arora visited the Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Farooqabad and announced its immediate restoration.
Arora, accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner of Sheikhupura, Assistant Commissioner Imran Ali Harl, the Chief Officer of the Municipal Committee, officials from the Auqaf Department and others, visited the site and also listened to the grievances of local Sikhs.
Speaking to the media, Arora said that according to preliminary information provided by the Auqaf Department, a local businessman had demolished the gurdwara without obtaining the NOC from the department concerned.
He said Chief Minister Maryam had made it clear that the government was fully committed to protecting the fundamental rights of minorities and safeguarding their places of worship under all circumstances.
The minister directed the Auqaf Department to immediately conduct an inquiry into the ownership and status of the land on which Gurdwara Singh Sabha stood, adding that initial information suggested the property was not registered as Auqaf land.
“I personally inspected the site and instructed the relevant authorities to submit a fact-based report at the earliest,” he said.
He added that restoration work on Gurdwara Singh Sabha would commence immediately and reiterated that the Punjab government remained committed to preserving the province’s historic religious heritage and protecting places of worship belonging to minority communities.
Meanwhile, local traders operating around the site expressed reservations over the restoration plan.
They said that the premises had remained abandoned for nearly 80 years, during which time several families had settled there and numerous shops had been established.
The traders said the restoration could displace dozens of families and urged the government to provide alternative housing and livelihood opportunities to any affected residents if eviction became unavoidable.
