Pakistan to Restore Gurdwaras; Indian Panjab Bans Plays Depicting 'Sahibzade'

Pakistan Panjab’s Minister for Minority Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora, recently informed there is a 72% increase in Sikh visitors to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur Sahib. Pakistan’s government now plans to restore 46 more Gurdwaras and other religious sites in the country. Scholars at a seminar Kartarpur Corridor: Pakistan’s Initiatives for Peace and Harmony praised the Kartarpur Corridor as a step toward interfaith harmony, with officials noting a renewed five-year agreement on facilitating pilgrimages. Separately, concerns have emerged among Pakistani Sikhs over the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s alleged arbitrary dismissal and appointment of Sikh Jathedars, prompting calls for a global Sarbat Khalsa (Sikh Plenary) at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. Former Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Bishan Singh said, ‘Representatives want clearer guidelines and a global platform to ensure accountability and consistency in selecting Jathedars (leaders).’ Meanwhile, in India, the National Commission for Minorities chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura urged state govt.’s to preserve the Gurmukhi script and support the Sikh community’s cultural and economic interests. He advocated establishing a Sikh Development Board and appointing Gurmukhi teachers, emphasizing the need for stronger community representation. In another development, Panjab’s Directorate of School Education directed all District Education Officers and school heads to stop staging plays in which students portray Sahibzadas (Guru Gobind Singh’s sons) or their family members. This measure follows concerns from the National Commission for Minorities that live enactments of revered Sikh figures violate religious protocols. According to a newly issued Standard Operating Procedure, these depictions may be conveyed only through written, verbal, or animated forms, reflecting the community’s insistence on respect for sacred history. The directive comes as past controversies attached to the portrayal of the Sahibzadas, commemorated annually during Veer Bal Diwas (Brave Kids Day), (earlier coverage).