Battling his way through a crowd of people in the busy Qissa Khawani bazaar, Murad, a student of Peshawar University was running late for iftar at the hostel. It would take him some time before he would be able to reach the university. He was astonished to see a young Sikh boy approach him out of the blue, inviting him to break his fast at an iftar gathering on the roadside, arranged by the Sikh community for Muslims who were fasting in Ramazan. “I was so impressed to see Sikh community members serving Muslims seated right in the middle of a busy public area,” he says.

On the grass covered with red rugs, neat rows of brightly-patterned dastarkhwans (tablecloths) were laid out and Muslims sat alongside Sikhs waiting for iftar time. Platters of pakoras, samosas, sliced/cubed fruit and dates were being laid out by Sikh volunteers, while others placed pitchers of sharbat and glasses in front of the seated guests, recalls Murad. “The very next day, as a mark of respect for the Sikh community, I gathered my colleagues on the campus to plan birthday celebrations of Guru Nanak Sahib, the founder of Sikhism,” says Murad.

For the locals of Qissa Khawani, it was a routine event. For more than a decade, a noted Sikh community leader and peace activist, Sardar Charanjeet Singh, and his colleagues have been arranging roadside iftar and other such events to promote religious harmony and bring followers of different faiths closer. He shared his idea of promoting interfaith harmony among the Sikh, Hindu, Christian, Kalasha and Muslim communities. In liaison with their respective religious scholars in December 2006, a platform called Faith Friends (FF) was formed with members from different faiths and beliefs.

An interfaith organisation strives to keep religious harmony alive in KP

Charanjeet Singh, who was also one of the founding members of the Faith Friends, was shot dead on May 29, 2018, at his grocery store in Peshawar Scheme Chowk, Kohat Road, by unknown assailants, in what the local police termed a targeted killing. His death was widely condemned by peace activists, political workers, civil society members and religious scholars. He left a legacy in the form of Faith Friends, an offshoot of Pakistan Council of World Religions (PCWR-FF) which was registered with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government in 2009.

Despite such unfortunate incidents of targeted killings and abduction, religious harmony remains intact across KP and the erstwhile Fata. The organisation arranged Eid, Diwali, Christmas, Guru Nanak’s birthday and the Kalasha Chilam Joshi celebrations. Peace conferences were also organised on the theme of Yaum-i-Ashura, capacity building of youth and women, interfaith dialogue, children and conflict resolution, interfaith harmony and media management as well as drawing and essay writing competition.

Inspired by FF, Ajeet Singh — who hails from the Malik Din Khel Afridi tribe — became a member. He lives with his family in the remote tribal territory of Tirah valley. A large number of Sikhs, whose ancestors had migrated from parts of India including East and West Punjab in around 1676 AD, still live in Tirah valley, although many of them have moved to Peshawar. Owing to various reasons, they have not returned to Tirah Valley.

Ajeet Singh has an interesting story to tell. In 2011, when a military operation took place in the Tirah valley, residents were asked to evacuate the area. He had to shift his family to Peshawar overnight. “It was a horrible time and I didn’t have any money,” he says. “I took a loan from my neighbour. Along with several other Sikh families I arrived in Peshawar after a journey of two days and nights and the residents of the city were very helpful to us,” he recalls.

For the locals of Qissa Khawani, it was a routine event. For more than a decade, a noted Sikh community leader and peace activist, Sardar Charanjeet Singh, and his colleagues have been arranging roadside iftar and other such events to promote religious harmony and bring followers of different faiths closer.

Ajeet Singh approached Ramesh Kumar in Ramdas Bazaar, Peshawar, to find him a house owned by someone from the Hindu community, on rent. As Kumar lived in a rented house that belonged to Amjad Masih, a Christian, he decided to sublet the house, sharing two rooms with Ajeet Singh’s family. Ajeet Singh, however, was still unable to pay the rent. When Syed Hakim Shah, a resident of Yakatoot locality in Peshawar came to know of Ajeet’s problem, he came to his rescue by offering to pay the rent.

For the next five years, Ajeet Singh lived comfortably at the sublet premises. Two years ago, he relocated to Tirah but still remains in touch with his friends in Peshawar who helped him in his time of need irrespective of their faith. Ajeet Singh occasionally visits Peshawar to oversee funds and donations organised by his friends Amjad Masih and Syed Hakim Shah. He also participated in the iftar party arrangements.

But that’s not all. The trio of Amjad Masih, Syed Hakim Shah (who now works in the UAE) and Ajeet Singh have established a humble fund to help needy families. So far they have helped 10 families from the Hindu, Sikh and Christian communities by arranging dowries for marrying couples.

According to Qari Roohullah Madni — a noted scholar and former minister for religious affairs in KP during the MMA rule in early 2000s and the current chief of PCWR-FF — the basic aims and objective of FF include ensuring respect for holy places, books and personalities of all religions, working for justice, peace, tolerance and respect among the peoples of KP and elsewhere, irrespective of caste, creed or colour. “Though there are differences between various faiths, they all have similarities which can be a firm basis to move forward in harmony,” he says.

Madni says FF believes in striving for the enhancement of the socio-economic condition of the people with increased attention to underprivileged communities, to strive for ensuring religious and human rights and values of all communities and honour the opinions and feelings and dignity of others, to further inter-religious discourse and dialogue among the followers of diverse faith communities in Pakistan and elsewhere, and to condemn terrorism in all forms and manifestations.

Prof Dr Qibla Ayaz, former dean of Islamic and Oriental Studies of the University of Peshawar, now the chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) believes that FF has had a huge impact on students. He says when he was head of the Islamic Centre at University of Peshawar, he would invite religious scholars of Sikhism, Hinduism, Christianity and other sects to deliver lectures to students of MPhil and PhD. “Since KP is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious province, interfaith harmony and religious tolerance have improved over the years, in spite of a spate of militancy here,” Ayaz claims.

Published in Dawn, EOS, July 15th, 2018