Sikhs want crematorium built in Peshawar

[Devil Soul]

Sikhs want crematorium built in Peshawar
By Hidayat Khan
Published: May 16, 2018
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Representational image. PHOTO: AFP

PESHAWAR: The Sikh community in the province on Tuesday urged the court to direct the government to build a crematorium in the provincial capital.

Sikh community elder Babaji Guru Gurpal Singh, through senior lawyer Muhammad Khurshid, submitted a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) that the provincial government had in the fiscal budget for 2017-18 had allocated Rs30 million to build a crematorium for the Sikh community and a graveyard for the Christian community in Peshawar.

However, the government has yet to release funds for these projects nor has it made any plans for these projects.

Talking about the importance of the project, he stated that as many as 60,000 Sikhs live in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), including 15,000 who live in Peshawar alone. Despite that, there is no crematorium where Sikh mourners can carry out the last rites of their loved ones.

The petitioner noted that they will see an increase in the number of cremations is likely to increase in the future.

“Against their religious teachings, they are forced to bury dead one,” Singh wrote in his petition, adding that the nearest crematorium is located near Attock, 45 Kilometers away from Peshawar.

Although the Attock crematorium is intended to primarily serve the Hindu community, it is also used by the Sikh community.

While cremation is culturally imperative for Sikhs and Hindus, the cost is a major prohibitive factor for them since many middle and low-income members of the community cannot afford the costs of cremation.

“We are grateful for such a facility,” Singh said, adding, “But for the poor members of the community, they cannot even afford to transport the funeral.”

The petitioner told the court that for the year 2017-18, the government had allocated money for the minorities, including Rs2.669 million for arranging an ambulance for the Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh But the government, Singh claimed, had now backtracked on its budget promise while other government departments, despite the allocations, too are reluctant to utilise the funds for the listed projects.

The petitioner asked the court to direct the government to select a suitable spot to build the crematorium near Peshawar and set up a modern facility, keeping in view the environmental requirements and concerns, so that the community can perform the last rituals of their loved ones without any problem.

Khurshid said that the Constitution of Pakistan provides that every citizen has the right to life with dignity, at the same time, it is also their innate rights to perform their final rites as per their beliefs.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2018.

 

[El Sidd]

They should have it

 

[terry5]

This cannot happen .

 

[Trango Towers]

They should have it

Come on government. Thus is a genuine and valid request

 

[Mamluk]

This cannot happen .

Why?

 

[El Sidd]

Come on government. Thus is a genuine and valid request

You know i am not mentally fit for that...............

 

[Devil Soul]

This cannot happen .

This Must Happen....

 

[terry5]

Why?

Fire is punishment of hell.

 

[jamahir]

Will this be an electric crematorium??

 

[El Sidd]

Will this be an electric crematorium??

The Sikh community should table their requirements as per their traditions first.
The state will try and accommodate them as it is their basic human right.
Regarding the technology. It makes no difference

Fire is punishment of hell.

But they died on earth?

Jab Parsi or Kailash kay log apne mazhab or riwayat kay tehat akhri rasoomat kar sakte hain to Sikh kyon nahi?

It is Unislamic to give out punishments like immolation for a crime but that does not apply to dead people.

 

[Awan68]

Fire is punishment of hell.

Alllah and his Prophet(pbuh) guarentee the religious freedom of minorities living under Islamic rule, Islam upholds the right of minorities to conduct their life and death according to thier religious and cultural beliefs, who the hell are we to deny something Allah allowed?

 

[fitpOsitive]

Sikhs want crematorium built in Peshawar
By Hidayat Khan
Published: May 16, 2018
SHARE TWEET EMAIL

Representational image. PHOTO: AFP

PESHAWAR: The Sikh community in the province on Tuesday urged the court to direct the government to build a crematorium in the provincial capital.

Sikh community elder Babaji Guru Gurpal Singh, through senior lawyer Muhammad Khurshid, submitted a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) that the provincial government had in the fiscal budget for 2017-18 had allocated Rs30 million to build a crematorium for the Sikh community and a graveyard for the Christian community in Peshawar.

However, the government has yet to release funds for these projects nor has it made any plans for these projects.

Talking about the importance of the project, he stated that as many as 60,000 Sikhs live in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), including 15,000 who live in Peshawar alone. Despite that, there is no crematorium where Sikh mourners can carry out the last rites of their loved ones.

The petitioner noted that they will see an increase in the number of cremations is likely to increase in the future.

“Against their religious teachings, they are forced to bury dead one,” Singh wrote in his petition, adding that the nearest crematorium is located near Attock, 45 Kilometers away from Peshawar.

Although the Attock crematorium is intended to primarily serve the Hindu community, it is also used by the Sikh community.

While cremation is culturally imperative for Sikhs and Hindus, the cost is a major prohibitive factor for them since many middle and low-income members of the community cannot afford the costs of cremation.

“We are grateful for such a facility,” Singh said, adding, “But for the poor members of the community, they cannot even afford to transport the funeral.”

The petitioner told the court that for the year 2017-18, the government had allocated money for the minorities, including Rs2.669 million for arranging an ambulance for the Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh But the government, Singh claimed, had now backtracked on its budget promise while other government departments, despite the allocations, too are reluctant to utilise the funds for the listed projects.

The petitioner asked the court to direct the government to select a suitable spot to build the crematorium near Peshawar and set up a modern facility, keeping in view the environmental requirements and concerns, so that the community can perform the last rituals of their loved ones without any problem.

Khurshid said that the Constitution of Pakistan provides that every citizen has the right to life with dignity, at the same time, it is also their innate rights to perform their final rites as per their beliefs.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2018.

They are our people, and if they have demanded something that is their right, then they must be granted. The word "Majority" should never mean oppression.

 

[I.R.A]

This cannot happen .

The provincial government had already promised this by allocating budget to it. Now retracting from your promises is not Islamic. And 15,000 in a city is a healthy number to ask for it.

 

[jamahir]

The Sikh community should table their requirements as per their traditions first.
The state will try and accommodate them as it is their basic human right.
Regarding the technology. It makes no difference

Google gives this :

Most of the Sikhs cremate their dead. Since no ritual of importance is attached to the cremation specifically, any other method of disposal of the dead body is equally acceptable. Thus, open air cremation or the electrical funeral, there is no difference.

"Open air cremation" requires wood. If electric cremation is used, some tree need not be cut down.

Note that Sikhism does not make wood cremation compulsory.

 

[Ocean]

Will this be an electric crematorium??

Yes seems so as he said modern facility. Crematorium demand i do understand But what really surprises me is that they are asking for even transport facility for transporting dead bodies to crematorium cause poor cant afford the costs, Seriously if this is what they want then this sort of transport facility should be provided to every community in pakistan. Talk abt too many demands. It seems like they are also asking gov to pay for the costs of cremation for poor - tho n i am not sure. India is a hindu majority country yet majority of their hindus dead bodies are dumped in ganga as they cant afford cremation costs as its the priciest last rights method. Gov should build a cremation facility but for the rest of cremation and transport costs they should be borne by the community itself.

Anyways this facility should be a closed and well guarded one cause many black magic practitiners perform their chillas in shamshan ghaats and also steal away deadbodies ashes.