Braving bloodshedding, they stood firm for faith

As Sikhs and Hindus left the newly created Islamic na tion of Pakistan in 1947, Sant Singh had to decide whether to cross the Radcliff Line to safety in India or stay back in his motherland. His faith clinched the argument.
“My father chose to stay back, not for his property or family but for gurdwaras as he was sure no one would take care of the shrines if everyone left for India,“ said Lahorebased Bishan Singh, former president of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbanchak Committee (PSGPC).

The family lived in Jargari village of Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, where his father had a grocery shop.

Bishan feels it is due to the courage of people like his father that gurdwaras in Pakistan are safe and follow `parkash' (installation) of Guru Granth Sahib in accordance with `rehat maryada' (Sikh code of conduct).

“My grandfather Aya Singh also refused to leave Pakistan.Many of our relatives decided to move to India and are now settled in Moga and

Jalandhar

. But I stand by my father's decision. Now, we not only have our own gurdwara management body but also Sikhs from around the world come to Pakistan to pay obeisance at the historic Sikh shrines,“ he said.

Bishan's octogenarian mother Nan Kaur said, “We didn't look just into our own safety and interests but also the safety of our gurdwaras and temples.“

The former

PSPGC

chief said his three maternal aunts also migrated to India and settled in Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala.

However, Bishan's family didn't have it easy . The family moved to

Nankana Sahib

, birthplace of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, which had a population of around 200 Sikh families.