ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—The government of Pakistan has made the historical well of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib functional and a purifier has been also installed on it to export its sacred water to Sikh devotees living across the world.
“The water from this well is like what Aab-i-Zamzam is to Muslims. Now, the well has been shaped and a filtration plant has been set up over it so that Sikh devotees can drink the water,” Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Siddiqul Farooq quoted before the Senate Standing Committee of Religious Affairs in Islamabad Parliament House.
Farooq said that three ancient Gurdwaras visited by the founder of Sikhism, Baba Guru Nanak, have also been reopened.
“The doors of these gurdwaras – one in Peshawar and two in the Nankana Sahib district – were closed after partition, and now they have been handed over to the Sikh community after renovation,” he said.
He reiterated that the most considerable achievement is the opening of the holy well at Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib as its water is called ‘Amrit Jal’ by the Sikhs, and the government has allowed for the water to be exported all over the world.
He said Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Nankana Sahib is where Baba Guru Nanak had spent the final years of his life.
The committee was informed that the government is in the process of allowing the printing of the Holy Scriptures of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Pakistan to avoid sacrilege present Sikh master at check-posts on Indo-Pak border.
It is pertinent to note here that the Supreme Sikh body SGPC had already made it clear that the Pakistan government won’t be allowed to print Holy Scriptures of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The SGPC had made sure to avail any number of Holy Scriptures to Pakistani Sikhs while obeying Sikh code of conduct.
In fact, the Pakistani Sikhs also dissent over the printing of Holy Scriptures of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in Pakistan. While the pro-PSGPC Sikhs appreciates the initiative the others having independent ideology seeks surety that the Sikh code of conduct won’t be violated in printing process of Holy Scriptures.
The Pakistani Sikhs with independent ideology say that it would be hard for any authority in Pakistan ensure suitable environment in the printing press to be installed for printing Holy Scriptures of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. They say that if a non-Muslim couldn’t be allowed to get involved in printing process of ‘Quran’ (Holy Book of Muslims) then how could the Sikhs allow others to get involved in printing process of their living ‘Guru’.
