Jalandhar: In a first, Sri Akal Takht Sahib’s acting chief Giani Harpreet Singh appealed to the governments of India and Pakistan to pass condolence resolutions in their parliaments for lakhs of people who were killed and displaced during the Partition in 1947.
Singh while paying tributes to the victims of Partition during special Ardas Samagam (prayer congregation) at Akal Takht said that it was unfortunate that despite the loss of many lives, so far neither the Indian nor Pakistani governments ever passed any condolence resolutions.
“Ideally the Indian and the Pakistani governments should have taken this initiative during its 25th or 50th Independence Day. At least now, when we are celebrating 75th Independence Day, the Government of India should have spared a thought for lakhs of people who were killed during the sectarian violence following the Partition of Punjab,” he said.
Also read: Some Called it Independence; Others Partition
An Akhand Path (Sikh prayers) began on August 14, the Independence Day of Pakistan, and concluded on August 16. The congregation saw the gathering of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims from across the state, sending a strong message of universal brotherhood from Akal Takht Sahib. An exhibition on Partition titled ‘Ujaade di Daastan’ with moving pictures and captions by the Alliance of Sikh Organisations was also organised.
People viewing the Exhibition Photos displayed during the special prayers held for the victims of partition at Akal Takht from August 14 to August 16. Photo: Special arrangement.
The Akal Takht had earlier released a poster bearing the map of united Punjab and a picture of the Golden Temple and announced the conduct of common prayers for the peace of souls of 10 lakh women, men, elderly, children and the entire Punjabi community, which lost their lives during the Partition of ‘Des Punjab’ as India and Pakistan on August 15, 1947. The Akal Takht had issued instructions to all gurdwaras across the world to hold similar prayers in remembrance of people killed during Partition.
Addressing the gathering on the concluding day, August 16, Singh appealed to the governments of India and Pakistan that the victims of Partition be remembered. “Although we are celebrating 75th Independence Day, we should also remember those Punjabis on whose bodies Wagah Border stands today,” he stated.
The Akal Takht chief also mentioned that two states which fought against the Britishers were Punjab and Bengal. “It was the Punjabis, Sikhs and Bengalis who bore the brunt of Partition. The people of Punjab and Bengal and their children were killed. They lost their lands, property and ancestral houses. The Britishers punished the Punjabis and Bengalis by dividing their states dangerously,” he added.
The Jathedar also advocated the need for open visas, so that people who were born before 1947 on either side of the border could easily visit their birthplace, ancestral homes and religious shrines.
“If stopping a Muslim from performing Haj and Umra is a sin, is it not an equal sin to keep the Sikhs away from their Sikh shrines like Nankana Sahib and Panja Sahib in Pakistan, Hindus away from Katas Raj and Hilanga Devi temples? Muslims in Pakistan yearn to pay obeisance at Ajmer Sharif, hence governments should think about providing free visas,” he said.
Also read: The Pain of Partition, as Seen in the Literature of Many Languages
The brain behind this initiative was Nawanshahr district-based Gangveer Rathour from Aalmi Punjabi Sangat, a group of Punjabi activists.
Rathour’s social group has been holding different events, aimed at fostering peace and brotherhood between India and Pakistan on the eve of Independence Day for the past some years. In 2017, they organised a similar prayer on the occasion of the 70 years of independence.
Gangveer Rathour said that since India was celebrating its 75th Independence Day, they thought of special prayers on a bigger platform. “Our organisation members requested Giani Harpreet Singh who readily agreed to hold condolence prayers for all those who were killed during the Indo-Pak Partition. We felt that Punjab’s message of sacrifice, pain, trauma and displacement should reach worldwide and nothing could have been better than a joint prayer of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims than Sri Akal Takht Sahib.”
Similar prayers were conducted in some temples and by the Punjabi diaspora in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia along with that of the Akal Takht prayers which were held from August 9 to August 16, he added.
He also expressed concern over the rising attacks against minorities in the country and said, “India is already a Hindu majority nation. It is the responsibility of the majority to protect the minorities and keep internal conflict at bay. For ages, Punjab has taken the lead in promoting peace and brotherhood, which is why we held the condolence prayers. India’s cordial relations with Pakistan are the key to our growth in South Asia,” he added.
Leading a group of Muslims at the common prayer was Nasir Akhtar, the president of Sikh Muslim Sanjhan from Malerkotla, who said that for them it was an emotional call and a moral responsibility to attend the prayers for the departed souls of partition.
“Given the country’s current scenario, Akal Takht’s initiative of conducting common prayers for 10 lakh Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus, who were killed during Partition was highly appreciable. I strongly advocate that before anything else, we all are humans. That is why we wholeheartedly support Akal Takht’s call for a condolence resolution by the governments of India and Pakistan and free visas for people of either side,” he said, adding that partition was not just the division of Punjab but the murder of humanity.
Lauding Akal Takht’s initiative, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member Bibi Kiranjot Kaur said that India celebrated its 75th Independence Day with patriotic fervour of a time when Punjab and Bengal witnessed the horror.
“But what about those who lost their lives in lakhs during the bloody Partition of Punjab? It was a sensible decision by the Akal Takht to remember those souls who died during partition,” she said.
Kiranjot Kaur, who is the granddaughter of Master Tara Singh, one of the founders of SGPC said, “The noticeable factor was that cutting across religious lines, Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus gathered in big numbers for the prayers. It has sent a strong message of peace, harmony and communal brotherhood. The central government should take up Akal Takht’s request and pass a condolence resolution in the memory of the victims of the partition in the parliament. The Pakistan government should also act on the request of Akal Takht Sahib. After all, we have cultural, religious and linguistic ties with people on the other side of Punjab situated in Pakistan.”
Earlier SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami while hailing the Akal Takht’s initiative said, “The Indo-Pak Partition was a big attack on Punjab’s existence, religion, language and culture. Punjab, which lives in the name of Gurus but was divided into two parts. Many of our Sikh shrines were left on the Pakistan side, of which some are well maintained, while others are lying neglected. The government should pay attention towards Sikh Shrines in Pakistan.”
The SGPC president said that prayers were held under all the historic gurdwaras under SGPC management to remember the victims of partition. He also said that the SGPC management will take a call on holding remembrance prayer every year with the head of Akal Takht Sahib.