GS Paul
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, December 17
In what could be an act of sacrilege and an insult to the Sikh faith, allegations have surfaced of “parshad” being offered to pilgrims at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, in disposable paper plates made of cigarette packaging material.
The plates purportedly carry pictures of the Kartarpur shrine on one side and images of ‘Gold Street’ cigarette brand on the other. It is learnt the issue was raised by some pilgrims who visited the shrine. Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Ameer Singh said the issue was brought to his notice three days ago. He, however, dismissed it as a mischief carried out by miscreants, who probably never wanted the Kartarpur corridor to be reopened.
“We have never used any such packaging material to distribute parshad. We have investigated the matter. Some anti-social elements probably never wanted the Kartarpur corridor to be operational. In fact, the pinni-parshad is packed and distributed in plain bags by the PSGPC,” he said.
On the other hand, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said it was a shocking development, if true. “We will take up the matter with the PSGPC and the Pakistan authorities. We will ask them to investigate it and nab the culprits,” Dhami said.
Former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president, now BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, also took strong note of the reports. He claimed that a pilgrim had captured this “unpardonable sacrilege” on his mobile phone after getting parshad in such a plate. “This has exposed the nefarious designs of the Pakistan authorities that are bent upon suppressing and insulting the minorities. It was shocking to see how cigarette packaging material is being used to make plates for parshad at such a pious Sikh shrine. Earlier, attempts were made to defame the sanctity of the Kartarpur shrine by a Pakistani model, who clicked an obnoxious photoshoot at the shrine complex,” he said.
Row erupts over cigarette cartons at Kartarpur shrine
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