India slams Pakistan transfer of Kartarpur Sahib management to ‘non-Sikh body’

The Kartarpur Corridor was opened on November 9 last year, linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib with Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur.(File)

India on Thursday described as “highly condemnable” Pakistan’s decision to transfer the management of the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara from a Sikh body to a separate trust, saying it runs against the religious sentiments of the Sikh community.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India received representations from the Sikh community expressing grave concern over the decision to transfer the management and maintenance of the gurdwara.

“We have seen reports about Pakistan transferring the management and maintenance of the Holy Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib away from the Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, a body run by the minority Sikh Community, to the administrative control of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, a non-Sikh body,” the MEA said.

Our statement on reports about Pakistan transferring the management and maintenance of the Holy Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib pic.twitter.com/82S7we2P2y

— Anurag Srivastava (@MEAIndia) November 5, 2020

“This unilateral decision by Pakistan is highly condemnable and runs against the spirit of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor as also the religious sentiments of the Sikh community at large,” it said.

“Such actions only expose the reality of the Pakistani government and its leadership’s tall claims of preserving and protecting the rights and welfare of the religious minority communities,” the MEA said.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.