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Pak sells Sikh gurdwara land,
AGPC demands probe
WSN Network
 SAN
FRANCISCO/AMRITSAR: Even as reports of sale of gurdwaras’ land in
Pakistan shocked the Sikh community and the SGPC asked Indian Prime
Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to take up the issue with the Pakistan
government, American Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (AGPC)
coordinator Pritpal Singh said he has taken up the matter with the
Pakistan government and has asked for an independent probe.
Dr Pritpal
Singh, who has just returned from
Pakistan,
had visited there in connection with the Jyoti Jot gurpurab of Guru
Nanak Dev ji. He had met Evacuee Trust Property Board chairman Asif
Hashmi who had denuied all reports of land sale but later it emerged
that Hashmi was not sticking to facts.
Pakistan media,
including the much respected newspaper Dawn, has exposed the scandal
regarding sale of gurdwara land. The Sikh diaspora has been been
hurt by the sale of land measuring 855 kanals valued at Rs 655
million.
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Dr Pritpal Singh said
the PETPB must undo the sale of land without delay and said he
has been assured to that effect by the Pakistan officials |
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The Pakistan
Evacuee Trust Property Board (PETPB) had reportedly sold the land
worth millions of rupees at a nominal price of Rs 6.5 crore to the
Defence Housing Authority of Pakistan. Dr Pritpal Singh said the
land includes nearly 311 kanals in Mota Singh Wala village near the
posh locality of Defence Colony in Lahore and about 544 kanals
belonging to Samadh Bhai Mann Singh and Gurdwara Deh in Lahore.
There is a
clause in the PETPB rules and regulations that no property belonging
to a religious place can be put up for sale. Earlier, 35 acres
belonging to Gurdwara Bebe Nanki Ji at Dera Chehal village were sold
off by the PETPB, he added.
SGPC president
Avtar Singh Makkar said it was very unfortunate that the Pakistan
government was not respecting the pact signed between Pt Jawaharlal
Nehru and Liaqat Ali to the effect that both countries would
maintain in its best way the sanctity and status quo of religious
places of all communities.
Dr Pritpal Singh
said the PETPB must undo the sale of land without delay and said he
has been assured to that effect by the
Pakistan
officials but if that does not happen, the sale will be challenged
in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
7
October 2009
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