HRCP slams barring of Sikhs from temple

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Tuesday noted the barring of Sikhs from a gurdwara in Lahore and called the restriction by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) scandalous and a violation of fundamental human rights.
In a statement, the HRCP said, “While barring religious minorities from their worship places in Pakistan no longer surprises anyone, the ETPB’s decision to restrict Sikhs from entering Gurdwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh on Shab-e-Baraat is scandalous.”
Around four years ago, a group of Muslim men had claimed that the gurdwara was built on the site of burial place of a Muslim saint. The ETPB had thereafter allowed both communities to observe their religious rituals according to their own beliefs at the gurdwara. However, the police deployed outside the gurdwara prevented Sikhs from congregating on July 16 because the Shab-e-Baraat was to be observed two days later.
The HRCP termed the police deployment to prevent Sikh congregation at the gurdwara ill-advised and entirely uncalled for.
“The ETPB has no right to ask members of a religious faith to postpone rituals of their faith inside their places of worship, or to give precedence to religious rituals of one faith over another,” it said.
After being turned away from the gurdwara, the Sikhs reportedly said they were told by members of the extremist group that the gurdwara had been turned into a mosque and that they would no longer be allowed to bring in their musical instruments or observe religious ceremonies.
The HRCP called upon the government to take immediate measures to ensure Sikh community’s rights to observe their faith were not interfered with by the state or non-state actors.
Jawaid Iqbal condemns barring of Sikhs from performing religious rites: Chairman of Moderates Syed Jawaid Iqbal has strongly condemned the impediments that barred the Lahore’s Sikh community from performing their religious rites in their Gurdwara.
“This kind of action directly negates the ideology of Pakistan where all religious minorities have an equal right to freely perform their religious rituals,” he said.
In Jinnah’s Pakistan, Jawaid said, “it is disturbing to see that intolerance and bigotry is on the rise. While once harmonious coexistence between all religious factions was a way of life in Pakistan, it has now turned into a web of hate, leading to the destruction of peace and harmony.”