Karachi’s Sikhs denied accommodation at Panja Sahib

Karachi
Around 1,000 Sikh pilgrims of the city, visiting Gurdwara Punja Sahib for Baisakhi celebrations, had not been provided accommodation by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), complained patron-in-chief Pakistan Sikh Council on Monday.
According to Sardar Ramesh Singh a number of pilgrims from different parts of rural Sindh had also travelled to the Gurdwara, located in Hasan Abdal, Punjab but the board was providing accommodations only to those who were especially recommended by Sikh and Hindu parliamentarians.
Odam Singh, who travelled from Karachi, said the ETPB had not arranged for any rooms for the city’s yatrees (pilgrims).
“We have written letters to the board to at least allocate a few rooms so that our religious leaders and women could be provided with a place to stay and we could keep our luggage.”
However, an official of the ETPB confirmed that priority accommodations were provided to foreign pilgrims as a large number of applications were received by the board, with at least 1900 sent from India alone.
The number of yatrees at the three-day annual religious festival of the community – which began on Sunday - at the Gurdwara situated in Hasan Abdal district of Punjab, runs into thousands as Sikhs from across the globe including India, converge at the site. In Karachi the community celebrated the festival at Gurudwara Guru Garant, in Ranchore Line; Guru Nanak Darbar near Light House and Guru Nanak Temple in Manora.