In Pak’s Balochistan, Sikhs allege ‘gurdwara building razed’ for ‘mall’

He said the gurdwara was established in the 1930s. After the partition, when the Sikhs and Hindus migrated to India, the building was handed over to a catholic board, he said, adding that the St Gabriel School has been running from the building.

“However, since June, the building has been demolished, and the school has been shifted somewhere else. The government did not even inform or consult us,” Jasbir alleged.

Baloch Sikhs addressing local media in Quetta

The issue was highlighted after locals from all the communities addressed the local media.

The jathedar also said, “We tell the world that Quetta is a heritage-rich city. But are we really preserving it? Are Sikhs not a part of this nation? We have also made many sacrifices for this nation…”

“Saada Guru ghar tod ke gira ditta (They have demolished our Guru’s house),” Jasbir said. “We have communicated this to the Pakistan government… The ETBP cannot sell or give away the religious shrine properties of Sikhs and Hindus for commercial activities. They can only be given for educational purposes, nothing else.”

Jasbir said, “At one time before partition, there were 12 major gurudwaras in Quetta alone, but later many of them were illegally occupied.”

The voices of protest are also being raised from India, demanding that the property should be handed over to the Sikh community.

“They didn’t just demolish a building. They have demolished a piece of our history, our faith, and our identity,” said Inderjeet Singh, author of the book ‘Afghan Sikhs and Hindus’. “We appeal to the Pakistan government to stop the construction.”

Members of the Sikh community in Quetta have protested the alleged demolition of the historic gurdwara building.

Tarlochan Singh, former Member of Parliament (MP), has written to the High Commissioner for Pakistan in India, New Delhi: “…We are sorry to observe that in Quetta (Balochistan), the Gurdwara building which was till recently occupied by Saint Gabriel’s Primary School, has been demolished… I request you to please use your influence to help the local Sikhs through the Balochistan State Government.” Tarlchan is also the former chairman of the National Commission of Minorities.

BJP national spokesperson RP Singh wrote on X: “Another historic gurdwara has been allegedly demolished… According to the Balochistan Sikh Council, this is yet another extremely alarming example of the systematic erasure of the Sikh community in Pakistan… I strongly urge MEA India to immediately raise this matter with the Government of Pakistan…”

Pakistan’s minister for Minorities Affairs, (West) Punjab Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora told The Indian Express, “The ETPB is the caretaker of all the properties left behind by migrants during partition… but according to my information, the property belonged to a Sikh man, not a gurdwara.” Arora is also the president of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC).

Jasbir, however, said, “We have the documents showing that the property belongs to the gurdwara.”

ETPB chairman Qamar Uz Zaman was not available for comment despite repeated calls and messages.