Sikhs move PHC to get land for crematorium

PESHAWAR: The Sikh community has moved the Peshawar High Court (PHC) seeking an order to direct the government to provide land for ‘Shamshan Ghat’ or cremation ground where they could cremate the dead.

The Peshawar Sikh community head, Baba Gurpal Singh, filed the writ petition through his lawyer, Muhammad Khurshid Khan.

The petitioner claimed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had allocated millions of funds for establishment of Shamshan Ghat and Christian graveyards, but the Department of Auqaf and Religious Affairs were employing delaying tactics in utilisation of these

funds for establishment of Shamshan Ghat and graveyards for minorities of the province.

The petitioner said they shifted their dead to Attock for cremation that cost them Rs40,000 to 50,000. He said about 60,000 Sikhs were living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of whom 15,000 resided in Peshawar.

Baba Gurpal Singh said the provincial government had approved funds for construction of Shamshan Ghat in five districts of the province, but the funds lapsed as Department of Auqaf and Religious Affairs didn’t take steps to construct the crematorium.

However, the petitioner claimed that being citizens of this country Sikhs had the right to get land for cremating their dead.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government through Department of Auqaf and Religious Affairs, deputy commissioner and Nazim of Town-1 were made parties to the petition.

Radesh Singh Toni, chairman, Sikh community of Pakistan, told The News that there was not a single Shamshan Ghat for the Sikh community in Peshawar due to which they were compelled to take their dead to Attock district.

The people of Sikh community, he said, had to take their dead to Attock and their relatives also travel to Attock for the last rituals that cause lots of trouble for the bereaved families.

He recalled that the government had allocated Rs30 million for Shamshan Ghat last year, but the allocation was made with a condition that a land having price of Rs100,000 per marla should be purchased for it.

Radesh Singh Toni said it was impossible to find a land in Peshawar city in this price range. He said the government should ask the Auqaf Department to give the government land to Sikh community to set up a Shamshan Ghat in Peshawar.

He stated that the Sikh community had pointed some government lands of the Auqaf Department which could be allocated for this purpose.

Besides Peshawar, there is no facility of Shamshan Ghat for Sikh community in Nowshera, Abbottabad, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Hangu, Khwazakhela and Shangla due to which they face a lot of difficulties.