LAHORE: The martyrdom ceremony of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun Dev Ji, was attended by hundreds of Sikhs here in Lahore at Gurdawara Dera Sahib during an event organised by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) whereas, the Sikhs praised the brotherly attitude of Pakistan and showed their grievances towards the Indian government during the ceremony, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Sardar Bushan Sigh, Jasveer Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Harmeet Singh, Ragi Singh and other leaders of Sikh community addressed the ceremony of Jor Mela whereas, the Hindu leader Dr Munawar Chand, Sohail Raza, ETPB Secretary Tariq Wazir, Deputy Secretary Imran Gondal, ETPB Public Relations Officer Amir Hussain Hashmi and others attended the ceremony.
According to Sikh history, Guru Arjun was the first of the two Gurus martyred in the Sikh faith and the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of the Sikh scripture called the Adi Granth, which later expanded into the Guru Granth Sahib. The Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, Pakistan, commemorates the spot where Guru Arjan Dev is traditionally believed to have died.
The martyrdom ceremony which is also known as ‘Jor Mela’ was addressed by the Provincial Minister for Minorities Affairs Ijaz Alam who condemned the behavior of Indian government towards Sikhs and said that keeping them away from visiting their religious sites was against human rights and this act exposes their true face before the world.
“The Prime Minister of Pakistan and the government of Pakistan are promoting the message of brotherhood at all levels in order to maintain peace and harmony in the region. We are keenly working to make the life of the visitors peaceful in Pakistan and provide them with all the facilities which we can,” the minister added.
Evacuee Trust Property Board Chairman Amir Ahmed also addressed the yatrees and ceremony and said, “We welcome all the esteemed Sikh yatrees to Pakistan and hope to strengthen the foundations of Sikh Muslim brotherhood which were laid by Baba Guru Nanak. Respect and welfare of minorities are taught to us by our religion and also the constitution and we are taking all the possible measures to protect the rights of the minorities in Pakistan whereas, the prime minister has also broadened our vision in serving the minorities and protecting them. We are taking all possible steps and measures to maintain the Sikh Holy Sites in Pakistan and also the land of ETPB grabbed by the land grabbers will also be soon vacated and we will not let anyone illegally occupy the Sikh properties and land.”
He said that hospitality is the teaching is Islam, therefore, ETPB has made all arrangements for the ease and comfort of the Sikh Yatrees so that they take back good memories.
The head of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee while addressing the ceremony expressed his gratitude towards the Punjab government and said that the arrangements for Jor Mela were appreciable.
Provincial Parliamentary Secretary Sardar Mehindar Pal Singh also expressed his gratefulness towards the efforts and said that the Kartarpur Corridor initiative is commendable while Baba Guru Nanak University will also be completed very soon.
