On March 31, a Sikh temple that had not been used for worship for about seven decades was reopened in Peshawar. Gurudwara Bhai Biba Singh was built in 1708 at the time of 10th Guru Gobind Singh.
After renovation and the installation of Guru Granth Sahib, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) handed over the ownership of the Gurudwara to the Sikh community, who resumed prayers, or Ardaas, and other religious activities in the premises.
But Baba Gurpal Singh, a Sikh community leader in Peshawar, has concerns. More than the absence of a place for cooking and serving food, cleaning staff or shelves for storing shoes, he is worried about the temple’s security.
Sikhs, and the people of other minority faiths, living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the adjacent tribal areas have welcomed the reopening of the temple, and have expressed hope that the provincial government would address their numerous other unresolved problems. As per one estimate, there are around 50,000 people of minority faiths in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas. Their leaders demand the possession of their holy places, civil and political rights, and most importantly, security for their places of worship.
Baba Gurpal Singh told me there are significant Sikh populations in Khyber Agency, Kurram Agency and Orakzai Agency. But because of the poor security conditions in the tribal built, a majority of them has migrated to other parts of the country, especially Peshawar. There are currently an estimated 8,000 Sikhs in the provincial capital. They now have two places of worship – Gurudwara Bhai Joga Singh, which is located in Namak Mandi, and the recently reopened Gurudwara Bhai Biba Singh. “Another historical temple in Kabari Bazaar is has been occupied, and we are not even allowed to go near it,” he says.
Historically, the tribesmen of Khyber Agency have respected the minorities, and the political administration has even granted the status of tribal elder, or Malak, to Christians and Sikhs in the past. But after Taliban threats asking the Sikhs to leave the tribal agency, only three Sikh families still live in Shalobar and Torkhel areas of the tribal agency. Seven Sikh shopkeepers run their businesses in Torkham bazaar, but their families live in Peshawar.
Before the rise of a wave of militancy, Orakzai Agency had around 56 Sikh families. In May 2009, Hakimullah Mehsud – then head of the Orakzai and Kurram chapters of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – asked them to pay Jizya, a tax collected from non-Muslim citizens of an Islamic state. When they failed to pay the sum he had asked for, 11 houses belonging to the Sikh community were demolished. They were forced to leave the area.
But the 20 Sikh families in the Shia-dominated areas of Orakzai stayed. “Most of us trade in medicines and clothes,” said Surbat Singh, who lives in the Shawa village.
Despite the restoration of peace in the agency after successful military operations, the Sikhs who lived in the rest of the agency are reluctant to return. “Our houses have been damaged or destroyed. We do not have a temple, religious school or place of cremation. How will we manage if we return?” said Papindar Singh, who is currently based in Peshawar.
Sardar Charan Singh Sagar is one of the Panj Piaray, or the five beloved ones, of Sikh religion in Pakistan. He hails from Sadda area in Kurram Agency. According to him, the Sikh community from this tribal agency has not migrated to settled areas because of security concerns, but to establish their businesses and to provide their children with quality education. Therefore, his primary concern is an increase in the quota for minority students in educational institutions, especially in medical colleges. “There is a single seat for all minorities in the nine medical colleges of the province. The Hindus and Sikhs cannot compete with Christians, who have better schools. There should be one reserved seat for every minority group.”
Due to Sunni-Shia clashes in the tribal agency, businesses were ruined. The Sikh community was also affected. Those who did not shift their businesses sent their families to settled areas, he says.
There are three different historical temples in the area in the tribal agency, but only four Sikh families. “A large number of Sikhs come to Kurram Agency for religious festivals, but the three Gurudwaras do not even have basic facilities,” Sardar Charan Singh said. “Sometimes there is no water and shelter for the visitors. But the political administration has promised to address our problems before the next festival.”
Hindus are the most vulnerable minority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas, and the most economically deprived, according to Haroon Sarab Dial, the chairman of the All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement. “They don’t have even a single school, place of cremation, or temple in the entire tribal areas,” he says. There are a few small temples and places of cremation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but they do not have the possession of the historical Hindu temples and other holy places in the province. He demands the possession of Kali Bari temple in Dera Ismail Khan, Arya Samaj Hindu temple in Abbottabad, and Asa Mai temple in Peshawar.
The Asa Mai temple is the one of the only two places of worship of its kind in the entire world. The other is located in Afghanistan.
“Our temples have been converted into schools, hotels and business centers. That is an injustice,” he says.
Two of the Hindu places of cremation – in Mardan and Kohat – are poorly equipped, and another two –in Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu – are not in their possession. Their only option is the Shamshan Ghat in Nizampur, in Nowshera district. “When someone dies in a far-flung area, it costs a family up to Rs 50,000 to cremate them.”
Dail says Hindus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas have discontinued their morning prayers because of security threats. “They are too scared to visit their temples even once a week, and gather only at important religious occasions.”
Security is also the primary concern of the Christian community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. Pastor Shahzad Murad, from the Diocese Church of Pakistan in Peshawar, says recent attacks against the Christian community have created fear in the churchgoers in the settled areas.
Some Christian families who had migrated from the tribal built to cities in the settled areas are returning to their homes because of improved law and order following military operations, according to the pastor. But he says Christians are running out of churches, and new ones need to be built soon.
The historical St Columba’s Church in Peshawar was recently converted into a college.
The provincial government says it is committed to providing security to the minorities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and a friendly environment where they can carry out their religious practices without fear. “The PTI government is the first in the history of the province to have celebrated the religious festivals of minorities,” said Sardar Soran Singh, a special assistant to Chief Minister. He said the government wanted the minority communities to own their historical sites, and was working with the ETPB to make that possible. He said the government had already increased quotas for minority students, and was ready to facilitate them in any other way it could.
After renovation and the installation of Guru Granth Sahib, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) handed over the ownership of the Gurudwara to the Sikh community, who resumed prayers, or Ardaas, and other religious activities in the premises.
But Baba Gurpal Singh, a Sikh community leader in Peshawar, has concerns. More than the absence of a place for cooking and serving food, cleaning staff or shelves for storing shoes, he is worried about the temple’s security.
Sikhs, and the people of other minority faiths, living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the adjacent tribal areas have welcomed the reopening of the temple, and have expressed hope that the provincial government would address their numerous other unresolved problems. As per one estimate, there are around 50,000 people of minority faiths in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas. Their leaders demand the possession of their holy places, civil and political rights, and most importantly, security for their places of worship.
Baba Gurpal Singh told me there are significant Sikh populations in Khyber Agency, Kurram Agency and Orakzai Agency. But because of the poor security conditions in the tribal built, a majority of them has migrated to other parts of the country, especially Peshawar. There are currently an estimated 8,000 Sikhs in the provincial capital. They now have two places of worship – Gurudwara Bhai Joga Singh, which is located in Namak Mandi, and the recently reopened Gurudwara Bhai Biba Singh. “Another historical temple in Kabari Bazaar is has been occupied, and we are not even allowed to go near it,” he says.
In May 2009, Hakimullah Mehsud asked them to pay Jizya
Historically, the tribesmen of Khyber Agency have respected the minorities, and the political administration has even granted the status of tribal elder, or Malak, to Christians and Sikhs in the past. But after Taliban threats asking the Sikhs to leave the tribal agency, only three Sikh families still live in Shalobar and Torkhel areas of the tribal agency. Seven Sikh shopkeepers run their businesses in Torkham bazaar, but their families live in Peshawar.
Before the rise of a wave of militancy, Orakzai Agency had around 56 Sikh families. In May 2009, Hakimullah Mehsud – then head of the Orakzai and Kurram chapters of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – asked them to pay Jizya, a tax collected from non-Muslim citizens of an Islamic state. When they failed to pay the sum he had asked for, 11 houses belonging to the Sikh community were demolished. They were forced to leave the area.
But the 20 Sikh families in the Shia-dominated areas of Orakzai stayed. “Most of us trade in medicines and clothes,” said Surbat Singh, who lives in the Shawa village.
Despite the restoration of peace in the agency after successful military operations, the Sikhs who lived in the rest of the agency are reluctant to return. “Our houses have been damaged or destroyed. We do not have a temple, religious school or place of cremation. How will we manage if we return?” said Papindar Singh, who is currently based in Peshawar.
Sardar Charan Singh Sagar is one of the Panj Piaray, or the five beloved ones, of Sikh religion in Pakistan. He hails from Sadda area in Kurram Agency. According to him, the Sikh community from this tribal agency has not migrated to settled areas because of security concerns, but to establish their businesses and to provide their children with quality education. Therefore, his primary concern is an increase in the quota for minority students in educational institutions, especially in medical colleges. “There is a single seat for all minorities in the nine medical colleges of the province. The Hindus and Sikhs cannot compete with Christians, who have better schools. There should be one reserved seat for every minority group.”
Due to Sunni-Shia clashes in the tribal agency, businesses were ruined. The Sikh community was also affected. Those who did not shift their businesses sent their families to settled areas, he says.
There are three different historical temples in the area in the tribal agency, but only four Sikh families. “A large number of Sikhs come to Kurram Agency for religious festivals, but the three Gurudwaras do not even have basic facilities,” Sardar Charan Singh said. “Sometimes there is no water and shelter for the visitors. But the political administration has promised to address our problems before the next festival.”
Hindus are the most vulnerable minority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas, and the most economically deprived, according to Haroon Sarab Dial, the chairman of the All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement. “They don’t have even a single school, place of cremation, or temple in the entire tribal areas,” he says. There are a few small temples and places of cremation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but they do not have the possession of the historical Hindu temples and other holy places in the province. He demands the possession of Kali Bari temple in Dera Ismail Khan, Arya Samaj Hindu temple in Abbottabad, and Asa Mai temple in Peshawar.
The Asa Mai temple is the one of the only two places of worship of its kind in the entire world. The other is located in Afghanistan.
“Our temples have been converted into schools, hotels and business centers. That is an injustice,” he says.
Two of the Hindu places of cremation – in Mardan and Kohat – are poorly equipped, and another two –in Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu – are not in their possession. Their only option is the Shamshan Ghat in Nizampur, in Nowshera district. “When someone dies in a far-flung area, it costs a family up to Rs 50,000 to cremate them.”
Dail says Hindus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas have discontinued their morning prayers because of security threats. “They are too scared to visit their temples even once a week, and gather only at important religious occasions.”
Security is also the primary concern of the Christian community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. Pastor Shahzad Murad, from the Diocese Church of Pakistan in Peshawar, says recent attacks against the Christian community have created fear in the churchgoers in the settled areas.
Some Christian families who had migrated from the tribal built to cities in the settled areas are returning to their homes because of improved law and order following military operations, according to the pastor. But he says Christians are running out of churches, and new ones need to be built soon.
The historical St Columba’s Church in Peshawar was recently converted into a college.
The provincial government says it is committed to providing security to the minorities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and a friendly environment where they can carry out their religious practices without fear. “The PTI government is the first in the history of the province to have celebrated the religious festivals of minorities,” said Sardar Soran Singh, a special assistant to Chief Minister. He said the government wanted the minority communities to own their historical sites, and was working with the ETPB to make that possible. He said the government had already increased quotas for minority students, and was ready to facilitate them in any other way it could.