India, Pakistan must mourn 1947 victims

Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib Giani Harpreet Singh on Tuesday urged the governments of India and Pakistan to pass a condolence resolution in their Parliaments for the millions who died and were displaced during the country’s partition in 1947.
A special Ardas Samagam (prayer congregation) was organised at Akal Takht Sahib to pay the tributes to those Punjabis who lost their lives during the India-Pakistan partition.
Earlier, the bhog (concluding ceremony) of Sri Akhand Path Sahib was held.
“While celebrating the 75th anniversary of independence, the governments of both the countries should have remembered the people who suffered pain of displacement by voluntarily passing the condolence resolutions but the governments did not treat it as important. The Governments should pass the condolence resolutions,” said Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh.
Jathedar said open visas should be granted with a big heart to those people who took birth before 1947 on either side so that they can easily visit their birthplace, ancestral places and religious shrines.
“Punjabis suffered the most in partition of country in 1947 followed by Bengalis. People of Punjab and Bengal struggled most fiercely against British, who were then punished by dividing their states dreadfully. Both Punjab and Bengal were divided and they got their properties seized.
“Most of the sacrifices in the struggle against the British are of Punjabis, Sikhs and Bengalis,” said Giani Harpreet Singh.
The Jathedar said while the Punjabis lost lives in big numbers, they also had to leave their lands, properties, homes and holy Sikh shrines.
“This pain is still alive in the minds of Punjabis and while they want to see their birthplace, they also long to visit their holy shrines. As stopping Muslims from going to Haj and Hindus from visiting Sri Katas Raj temples, is a crime, similarly it is not right to stop Sikhs from visiting Sri Nankana Sahib and other Sikh shrines left in Pakistan.
“It is a matter that the governments of both the countries should discuss seriously and work to grant visas with open heart to people of every faith to visit their religious shrines,” said Giani Harpreet Singh.
Meanwhile, the Jathedar described as “extremely worrying” the massive drug addiction and ecological crisis in Punjab. “I appeal to the people of Panjab to determine the lifestyle as per the teachings of Gurus so that the prosperity of this region is maintained.”