Cigarette packaging used to distribute prasad at Kartarpur gurdwara:

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https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/cigarette-packaging-used-to-distribute-prasad-at-kartarpur-gurdwara-report-101639807883734.html

Cigarette packaging used to distribute prasad at Kartarpur gurdwara: Report

Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) said that the incident at Kartarpur gurdwara was brought to their notice three days ago. They said an enquiry was carried out which revealed that this was the work of some anti-social elements.

 

Devotees queue up outside the Kartarpur gurdwara.(HT File Photo)

Published on Dec 18, 2021 11:45 AM IST

 

Byhindustantimes.com | Written by Amit Chaturvedi, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

The devotees visiting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur have accused the authorities there of using disposable paper plates made of cigarette packaging material to distribute prasad.

According to Hindustan Times’ sister publication Livehindustan, many devotes have expressed their displeasure on the move, accusing the Pakistan government of playing with religious sentiments of the Sikh community.

Some photos doing to rounds on social media show the plates carrying a picture of a cigarette brand ‘Gold Street’, according to Livehindustan. The issue was raised by some devotees who reached the gurdwara recently.

Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) said that the incident was brought to their notice three days ago, according to Livehindustan report.

“We never used such a packaging to distribute the prasad at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. We have carried out an enquiry into the incident and based on that, we can say that this is the doing of some anti-social elements who don’t want Kartarpur Corridor to start,” PSGPC chief Ameer Singh was quoted as saying by Livehindustan.

Singh added that the regular prasad is packed and given to the devotees in plain carry bags.

However, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami said it is a shocking development, if true, Livehindustan reported.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjinder Singh Sirsa took exception to the reports, terming the incident as ‘sacrilege’.

Sirsa urged Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to take serious note of the issue and immediately order registration of case and arrest those responsible for this.

Earlier this month, India had summoned the charge d’affaires at the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi and conveyed its deep concern over Pakistani model Sauleha’s photoshoot at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, describing it as a “desecration” of the sanctity of the holy place.

Sauleha’s “bareheaded” photoshoot for a Pakistani clothing brand at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib set the social media abuzz as many people accused her of hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikh community. The model later deleted her photos from her Instagram page and posted an apology.

Pakistan had told Indian officials that it was an “isolated incident” and “was swiftly addressed and clarified”. In a statement, the Pakistan foreign office had said that the country accords highest primacy to the rights of the minorities and sanctity of religious places and revered sites of every community is ensured in Pakistan.

Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, located in Pakistan’s Narowal district, is the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak, who had spent the last 18 years of his life in Kartarpur.