KARACHI, Pakistan—Sikh community of Karachi has remained deprived of performing worship at Gurdwara Arambagh which has remained sealed since 1993 due to orders of a local court. The Gurdwara was opened briefly for 6 months, however later again put on complete closer in 2005.
The Gurdwara was initially sealed on the complaint of land grabbers who wanted to take possession of the land there. A private entity was registered by local land mafia who filed a civil lawsuit against the Sikh Community to get the Gurdwara sealed. Later, this entity filed an affidavit seeking control of Gurdwara’s management, however their claim was rejected in a long legal battle that ended in 2004. Despite court’s decision to not favour the private entity, the Gurdwara has remained sealed.
“The non- Sikh group (private entity) filed Constitutional petition in Sindh High Court of Karachi in 2005 where it was also dismissed by the Divisional Bench. In 2006, they filed civil appeal in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which was also dismissed,” said S. Hira Singh from Karachi.
“When our Gurdwara sahib was sealed and its possession was taken from the Sikh Community, the courts refused to honour the claim of the non-Sikh group. Hence, the Gurdwara now must be restored to the Sikh Community from whom it was taken.”
“We are looking for legal consultation and a senior Advocate of Karachi/Lahore to help the Sikh Community seek control of the Gurdwara,” he said.
Gurdwara Arambagh is located at Roopchand Balaram Road, Preedy, Karachi in Pakistan. There are about 2,500 Sikhs in Karachi and the Gurdwara was used by over 200 on regular basis to perform worship.
