By IANS
Lahore : A delegation of Indian Sikhs is planning a visit here following the takeover of the Bhai Taro Singh Gurdwara by a group that claims it to be part of a Muslim saint’s shrine.
The delegation from the Delhi Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee will probe the matter, said the Daily Times quoting reliable sources.
Meanwhile, as the dispute snowballs, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in Lahore has ordered the demolition of 18 shops close to the gurdwara to provide a separate entrance to the shrine of Pir Kaku Shah, a Muslim saint whose tomb lies in the Sikh temple premises.
The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee chairman Bishin Singh has said that they would hold a meeting within a week to discuss the issue.
Sohail Butt, the leader of the group occupying the gurdwara, has threatened to resist if the government and Sikhs tried to stop them from entering the shrine.
He said followers of the saint have painted the temple dome green and started offering evening prayers.
They have also started reciting the holy Quran in the shrine on Thursdays. He said the followers had urged the government to allow them to visit the shrine daily, instead of Thursdays only.
The gurdwara is situated near Naulakha Bazaar here and has been maintained by the ETPB.
According to an insider, the occupants took over the gurdwara after a former gatekeeper of the shrine claimed to have received the “divine” instruction from Pir Kaku Shah. The gatekeeper has since been transferred by ETPB.
Sikhs are a small minority in Pakistan, where a number of shrines belonging to their faith are mainly located in Punjab and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
In an editorial this week, the Daily Times sought early official intervention to “evict hooligans” who it said had “occupied” the gurdwara.
It urged an early end to the dispute and warned that it could become “as explosive as Lal Masjid” — a reference to the military assault on the Islamabad based mosque and seminary complex in which over 100 people were killed.