PESHAWAR: The 352nd birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh was celebrated here on Sunday amid tight security and people from various minority groups participated in the event.

The celebrations in connection with the birth anniversary had commenced on Friday and concluded in Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh at Mohallah Jogan Shah Qissa Khwani, Peshawar, on Sunday.

According to a statement, the three-day event was organised by the Auqaf, Religious and Minority Affairs Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to show harmony and celebrate inclusiveness.

Auqaf secretary says budget allocated for religious festivals of minorities

On the first day, a procession was held which was marked by rendering of hymns by Sikh community, including men and women. Over 5,000 Sikh devotees from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa took part in the procession and then other rituals followed by Langar (feast).

Adequate measures were put in place by the police department to ensure full security for smooth celebration of the event.

The chief guests included MPAs Ravi Kumar and Wazirzada and Sikh community leader Ranjeet Singh besides some government officials. The major attraction of the procession was the display of ‘Gatka,’ a famous Sikh martial art and other sword exercises.

On this occasion, MPA Ravi Kumar paid tribute to the slain Soran Singh and said that his services as adviser to the chief minister and his personal efforts for the communities would always be remembered.

He also said that such events would build understanding of traditions and beliefs of minorities and people here had shown a sign of interfaith harmony. In response to the demand of Sikh community, he said that Shamshan Ghat would soon be set up.

In this regard, MPA Wazirzada said that celebration of minorities’ events would help spread love and peace. He maintained that the minorities were allowed to practice their religion freely. Auqaf department secretary Hidayat Jan stated that they had allocated budget for religious festivals of minorities of KP. Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th Sikh Guru, a spiritual master and philosopher.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2019