PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday summoned Peshawar’s deputy commissioner, nazims of four town councils and auqaf department administrator over failure to set up crematorium for Sikh community.

A bench consisting of Justice Ikramullah Khan and Justice Mussarat Hilali fixed May 31 for the next hearing into the petition of Babajee Gorpal Singh, a representative of Peshawar’s Sikh community, seeking the court’s orders for the government to establish a crematorium in Peshawar and provide a vehicle for shifting bodies of Sikhs to it.

Former deputy attorney general and lawyer for the petitioner Khursheed Khan said the province had around 60,000 members of Sikh community and around 15,000 of them lived in Peshawar but unfortunately, there’s not a single crematorium for them.

He also regretted that the government hadn’t provided any vehicle for the transportation of bodies for cremation.

Sikhs insist district admin delaying cremation chamber despite funds approval

The lawyer said Sikhs took bodies from Peshawar and other KP areas to far-away Attock for cremation.

He said the government had approved Rs30 million for crematorium in 2017-18 and released Rs2.69 to the Peshawar administration on Sept 12, 2017, for purchase of ambulance or vehicle to transport bodies of Sikh community for crematorium.

The lawyer however said despite the approval and release of funds, the district administration, including deputy commissioner and town council nazims, had been delaying the creation of crematorium and purchase of vehicle.

Expressing annoyance, Justice Mussarat Hilali observed that the court knew how to recover funds from the government for such an important matter.

She added that the court would ensure that the fundamental rights of the members of religious minorities aren’t violated.

The petitioner told the court that Sikhs were patriotic Pakistanis and didn’t want to raise an issue, which could embarrass the country, but they had to move the court as a last resort to claim right.

The bench observed that the court would safeguard the rights of Sikh community, which should approach it whenever any of their rights was violated.

The bench wondered why the Peshawar administration had long been sitting on the funds meant for minorities.

Additional attorney general Sikandar Shah insisted that the Sikh community had differences over the place of crematorium and therefore, action on it suffered a delay.

The petitioner’s lawyer however rejected the claim saying even members of Hindu community had been supporting the call for the creation of a crematorium in Peshawar.

Justice Mussarat Hilali observed that on one hand, the government had created dug up the capital city but on the other, it had failed to set up a single crematorium for Sikh community.

The bench asked Peshawar DC, nazims of four town councils, and administrator of auqaf department to appear before it on the next hearing to explain their respective positions on the matter.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2018