1,200 Sikhs take refuge in Punja Sahib

[ajpirzada]

Pakistani people from Sikh community who fled Mingora and Buner in the troubled valley of Swat, take refuge in their temple in Hasanabdal, 45 kilometers from Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday, May 8, 2009. – AP

TAXILA: The number of Sikhs taking shelter in Gurdwara Punja Sahib, Hassanabdal, has swollen to nearly 1,200 as more and more people flee the armed conflict in the north-western district of Buner, officials said on Friday.

Hundreds of Sikhs have been displaced by the fighting between the Taliban militants and the security forces in Buner and Dir districts, while hundreds more have fled their homes in the semi-autonomous Aurakzai tribal region due to threats from the Taliban after demands for Jizya, a tax imposed on non-Muslims.

The displaced Sikhs have preferred to stay in the temple instead of going to makeshift camps established by the government authorities with the help of international relief agencies.

Scores of Sikh families have moved from the militancy-hit areas of Pir Baba, Buner, Maidan, Lal Qila and Islam Dara of Lower Dir to safer places in the wake of the ongoing military operation.

These Sikhs had been living in the area since long and even after the partition of the sub-continent, they did not move and preferred to stay in the area.

Meanwhile, NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Minorities Affairs Minister Nauroz Khan also visited Gurdwara Punja Sahib on Friday and expressed solidarity with the Sikh IDPs. They also distributed aid among the more than 300 Sikh families in the temple.

Pakistan Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has made elaborate arrangements for the boarding and lodging of these Sikh IDPs.

Sardar Soran Singh, who is overseeing the affairs, told Dawn that all facilities were being provided to the Sikh families free of cost, saying 'We will allow them to stay here for as long as they want.'

Officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) told this reporter that influx of Sikh families was expected in the next few days as authorities again relaxed curfew in Swat, Buner and other troubled areas of the NWFP.
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | 1,200 Sikhs take refuge in Punja Sahib

 

[paritosh]

The GoI should intervene and ask for their extraction to India...or better still they should be rehabilitated to some metropolitan city in pakistan like karachi...where the threat from fundamentalists is significantly lower.

 

[Zob]

very intresting now the indians want us to comment on this thread...even better extradite them to india so that they can be slaughtered just the way they were in 1984....and JAGDISH TYTLER is set free....DIGITLITER if you might wish to comment i recommend you go read another thread with sikhs of orakzai before you make audacious statements against pakistanis....these sikhs are PAKISTANIS infact maybe a better pakistani then i am...and if they wished to come to YOUR INDIA....they could have left ages ago but they didn't....because they are happy in pakistan...because it is THEIR PAKISTAN

no one in INDIA even knew we had sikhs in these areas until the god cursed taliban came along and started killing PAKISTANIS(note to me their religion caste,creed doesn't matter)!!!


our NWFP information minister even went their to see them and distribute aid....i don't recall him going to other areas to see displaced SWAT people....sorry my INDIAN FRIENDS....your argument...infact you don't even have an argument!!

 

[paritosh]

very intresting now the indians want us to comment on this thread...even better extradite them to india so that they can be slaughtered just the way they were in 1984....and JAGDISH TYTLER is set free....DIGITLITER if you might wish to comment i recommend you go read another thread with sikhs of orakzai before you make audacious statements against pakistanis....these sikhs are PAKISTANIS infact maybe a better pakistani then i am...and if they wished to come to YOUR INDIA....they could have left ages ago but they didn't....because they are happy in pakistan...because it is THEIR PAKISTAN

no one in INDIA even knew we had sikhs in these areas until the god cursed taliban came along and started killing PAKISTANIS(note to me their religion caste,creed doesn't matter)!!!


our NWFP information minister even went their to see them and distribute aid....i don't recall him going to other areas to see displaced SWAT people....sorry my INDIAN FRIENDS....your argument...infact you don't even have an argument!!

this is an article that clearly shows that sikhs would prefer shifitng to india...given the current situation...
Pakistan: Expelled Sikhs want to migrate to India - Adnkronos Religion
you cannot argue the fact that Sikhs face no problems whatsoever in India...none political nor religious...you have to talk to a sadar to get the real picture of the Sikhs of India...

if you say that sikhs are indeed very patriotic...then why dont they enjoy a good representation in the armed forces?why is there only 1 sardar in your army?when the sikhs are known to be proven warriors?

 

[IceCold]

Its but obvious that no Pakistani member responded to this thread as they speak about Sikhs and show fraternity when something against Sikhs happens in India, or else "who cares, they are not our religious brothers"

This is no good.

What the **** are you talking about? Its better if you preach your hate some place else.

 

[IceCold]

this is an article that clearly shows that sikhs would prefer shifitng to india...given the current situation...
Pakistan: Expelled Sikhs want to migrate to India - Adnkronos Religion
you cannot argue the fact that Sikhs face no problems whatsoever in India...none political nor religious...you have to talk to a sadar to get the real picture of the Sikhs of India...

if you say that sikhs are indeed very patriotic...then why dont they enjoy a good representation in the armed forces?why is there only 1 sardar in your army?when the sikhs are known to be proven warriors?

Leaving aside the usual rant, i don't think we need to provide a clarification as to why there isnt a good representation of sikhs in the armed forces.
However unlike your kind who cannot tolerate a bit of reality, we on the other hand accept the fact that in the past years not much focus has been put on Minorities and to increase their share of participation in the progress of Pakistan, however all that changed in Musharraf era and we not only have sikh in the army but also in the police. Moreover you are way off here in prediciting that Sikhs want to migrate to India. They havent yet forgotton what happened with them in Operation Blue star.

 

[paritosh]

Leaving aside the usual rant, i don't think we need to provide a clarification as to why there isnt a good representation of sikhs in the armed forces.

huh?you dont want to answer that?

However unlike your kind who cannot tolerate a bit of reality, we on the other hand accept the fact that in the past years not much focus has been put on Minorities and to increase their share of participation in the progress of Pakistan, however all that changed in Musharraf era and we not only have sikh in the army but also in the police.

you have two sikhs protecting pakistan now...surely the no. of sikhs serving in pakistan has doubled!

Moreover you are way off here in prediciting that Sikhs want to migrate to India. They havent yet forgotton what happened with them in Operation Blue star.

predicting?
i gave you a link my friend...
still living in the 80s are we?the most powerful man in india is a sikh..who is well respected...the sikh community is the most influential and the most powerful community in India...they have the best stand of living...the punjab regiment is the most decorated regiment in the Indian army...and we've had innumerable sikh generals and officers in the indian forces..
infact the only paramveeer chakra awardee of the IAF is a sardar...the head of the planning commission is a sikh...i can go on and on...but you should have a chat with an indian sardar he would elaborate further...

 

[IceCold]

huh?you dont want to answer that?

There was nothing to answer.

you have two sikhs protecting pakistan now...surely the no. of sikhs serving in pakistan has doubled!

Sarcasm is lost. Try better next time.

predicting?
i gave you a link my friend...
still living in the 80s are we?the most powerful man in india is a sikh..who is well respected...the sikh community is the most influential and the most powerful community in India...they have the best stand of living...the punjab regiment is the most decorated regiment in the Indian army...and we've had innumerable sikh generals and officers in the indian forces..
infact the only paramveeer chakra awardee of the IAF is a sardar...the head of the planning commission is a sikh...i can go on and on...but you should have a chat with an indian sardar he would elaborate further...

Try bringing out a neutral link for a change. And yeah yeah i know the most powerful man in India is a sikh, but then again is he really independent after all he 2 has a mistress at the back by the name of Sonia gandhi. Does he not?

 

[Zob]

this is an article that clearly shows that sikhs would prefer shifitng to india...given the current situation...
Pakistan: Expelled Sikhs want to migrate to India - Adnkronos Religion
you cannot argue the fact that Sikhs face no problems whatsoever in India...none political nor religious...you have to talk to a sadar to get the real picture of the Sikhs of India...

if you say that sikhs are indeed very patriotic...then why dont they enjoy a good representation in the armed forces?why is there only 1 sardar in your army?when the sikhs are known to be proven warriors?

Scores of Sikh families recently forced out of Pakistan’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan by Taliban militants, want to migrate and settle in India, according to a report in the Indian daily, The Asian Age.

please read the source....this article is just a propaganda INDIAN DAILY is writting such an article....

as for SIKHS being proven warrior...well in 300 families i am sorry we can't form a regiment i don't know how it is done in india....1 in 300 i think the ratio is still better than in india....as for proven warriors are all indian SIKHs warriors...is everyone in india who is a sikh is in the army??? if you really think that these indians if they wanted to migrate anything can stop them i am sure INDIAN GOVERNMENT will have a ball just imagining the propaganda they can create with them migrating to the INDIA....so i don't think anything is stopping these sikhs from leaving....except maybe their PATRIOTISM!!

 

[Zob]

the most powerful man in india is a sikh..who is well respected...

good and was this most powerful SIKH ELECTED or placed by CONGRESS only because Miss SONIA GANDHI wasn't supposed to be "INDIAN" enough

 

[ajpirzada]

some of u indians are only speaking non sense.... we are at war if u dont remember... there are over one million ppl who are living in tents. these sikhs are also pakistani and r not the only ones who have sufferred... the only thing gov can do rit now is to make sure they get everything. gov cant buy house for all the one million people and accomodate them in any big city. now gov have given money to these sikh families. but no cash has been given to any of the other displaced ppl. u get it?????? instead of appreciating somehting u r busy talkin about extradition. y dont u go an take them with u. if they want to come they will come. and im tellin u majority wont coz they are pakistanis and they know its a tough time and they are not the only ones suffering

 

[paritosh]

There was nothing to answer

can either mean that you did not understand the question or you choose not to answer it...the question anyway was that why in pakistan do we have absolutely no representation of minorities at all?
or to be more direct...why is there only one sikh in the pakistani army...when we all know that they are good fighters?

Try bringing out a neutral link for a change.

is it all made up?arent' sikhs TAKING REFUGE in a GURUDWARA?is it that not bad enough for them?
and not all indian newspapers are corrupt....they report news...why do you think the sikhs of pakistan would hold absolutely no grudge against the state for doing nothing when their homes were being destroyed?
the hindus and sikhs of pakistan are being made to wear yellow badges to differentiate them form the muslims...is it not similat ro the star of david that the jews of germany had to sport in the time of Hitler?

And yeah yeah i know the most powerful man in India is a sikh, but then again is he really independent after all he 2 has a mistress at the back by the name of Sonia gandhi. Does he not?

mistress?
it's bizarre how you come to these outrageous conclusions...even if you joke about it with your friends...you cant openly form such demented opinions about what happens in a country you dont fully understand!
our PM is vey well educated and one of the best finance brains this country has had...in a big way he has been responsible for the economic boom India is witnessing today..
rather than worry about sonia gandhi...you should worry about your zardari-gillani duo selling your country to the US...

 

[notsuperstitious]

as for SIKHS being proven warrior...well in 300 families i am sorry we can't form a regiment i don't know how it is done in india....1 in 300 i think the ratio is still better than in india....as for proven warriors are all indian SIKHs warriors...is everyone in india who is a sikh is in the army???

There are not 300 families, but 20,000 sikhs in pakistan

Pakistan

Secondly, don't be so defensive about it, people change countries all the time. Did you know recently many pakistani hindus moved to India?

 

[paritosh]

some of u indians are only speaking non sense.... we are at war if u dont remember... there are over one million ppl who are living in tents. these sikhs are also pakistani and r not the only ones who have sufferred... the only thing gov can do rit now is to make sure they get everything. gov cant buy house for all the one million people and accomodate them in any big city. now gov have given money to these sikh families. but no cash has been given to any of the other displaced ppl. u get it?????? instead of appreciating somehting u r busy talkin about extradition. y dont u go an take them with u. if they want to come they will come. and im tellin u majority wont coz they are pakistanis and they know its a tough time and they are not the only ones suffering

you are right...and the preferential treatment of the sikhs that is being discussed is understandable....
you are right again in saying that the displacement of millions is a backdrop of the topic of thread asit is a war going on....
but when the war was not going on....sikhs were being singled out by the taliban in having to pay that draconian protection money...and as they failed to pay'p...their ancient homes were destroyed...
my point being...that your govt has to do more than that...handling of minorities is difficult...indeed.
i am of the opinion that rehabilitating the sikhs in some urban city where people are more moderate and adjusting in their outlook like in karachi would be the best option...then would come the option of their being sent to India...cus when you compare the plight of the sikhs and other non-muslim minorities in pakistan...moving base would be more difficult....so the govt has to single out these handful sikh families and do extra for them...for they are your minorities...failing to do so..would result in a major diplomatic loss for you'd loose the edge while speaking for the muslims of India...dont you agree?

 

[IceCold]

can either mean that you did not understand the question or you choose not to answer it...the question anyway was that why in pakistan do we have absolutely no representation of minorities at all?
or to be more direct...why is there only one sikh in the pakistani army...when we all know that they are good fighters?


is it all made up?arent' sikhs TAKING REFUGE in a GURUDWARA?is it that not bad enough for them?
and not all indian newspapers are corrupt....they report news...why do you think the sikhs of pakistan would hold absolutely no grudge against the state for doing nothing when their homes were being destroyed?
the hindus and sikhs of pakistan are being made to wear yellow badges to differentiate them form the muslims...is it not similat ro the star of david that the jews of germany had to sport in the time of Hitler?

mistress?
it's bizarre how you come to these outrageous conclusions...even if you joke about it with your friends...you cant openly form such demented opinions about what happens in a country you dont fully understand!
our PM is vey well educated and one of the best finance brains this country has had...in a big way he has been responsible for the economic boom India is witnessing today..
rather than worry about sonia gandhi...you should worry about your zardari-gillani duo selling your country to the US...

It seems somebodies *** is on fire. Anyways for the last line i would recommend you Indians the same " rather then worring about the rights of minorities in Pakistan, take a look in the mirror first and worry about that instead.