TAXILA: The Sikh festival of Baisakhi concluded here at Gurdwara Punja Sahib, on Tuesday, with a ceremony referred to as Bhog. The ceremony was attended by over 10,000 Sikh and Hindu pilgrims and the minister for religious affairs, who was invited as the chief guest.

Around 2,000 pilgrims had travelled from India for the festival, over a hundred from Europe, some 200 from Afghanistan, a hundred from the UAE and over 4,000 came from across Pakistan, including Fata and rural Sindh.

Following Bhog, the pilgrims perform Keerthan for purification which is followed by Ardaas or prayer. This marked the formal end of the festival and parsad, or sweetmeats were distributed among the pilgrims who chanted religious slogans.

The Gurdwara was alive with colour as the pilgrims in traditional yellow turbans filled the halls and the courtyards and everyone appeared jubilant.

The Sikh pilgrims left for Nankana Sahib on a special train on Tuesday evening, from where they will head to Gurdwara Ameenabad in Lahore. Invited to speak as the chief guest at the Bhog ceremony, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammad Yousaf said the minorities had equal rights in the country and the PML-N government was taking steps to promote religious freedom and protect places of worship.

He said the founder of the Sikh religion, Baba Guru Nanak, preached tolerance and brotherhood of humanity.

“There are many things which Islam and Sikhism have in common, such as the belief in one God, equality, peace, tolerance, family values and equal distribution of resources,” he said.

Evacuee Trust Property Board Chairman Sadeequl Farooq also spoke on the occasion. He said around 150 residential rooms were being constructed at various Gurdwaras while a Shamshan Ghat (place for cremation) is being constructed at Hassanabdal.

He said land was being procured for the construction of a Gurdwara in Karachi.

Mr Farooq said that as a goodwill gesture, he is sending water from all sacred Hindu and Sikh places in Pakistan to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The government has also initiated a number of development projects aimed at improving facilities at temples all over the country,” he said.

Senator Amarjeet Malhotra, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Minority Affairs, Sardar Soran Singh, MNA Rameesh Lal, MNA Bhawan Das and MPA Kanji Raam were also present on this occasion.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2015

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