Cigarette packaging used to pack prasad in Pakistan’s Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara sparks outrage

Every so often Pakistan and its India-based acolytes cry about the alleged atrocities that minorities face in India. However, the religious sentiments of minorities are under constant threat in Pakistan. The world must hold Pakistan accountable for the continued attacks on minorities – be it physical or psychological. The Indian Govt. must take this issue up with the Pakistan Govt. to ensure that the religious sites and sentiments of the Sikhs are protected. – Editor, HinduJagruti.org

A massive controversy has emerged since it has been revealed that the Kartarpur Gurdwara Darbar Sahib management committee has used cigarette packaging as wrappers to pack and distribute Kadah Prasad to devotees visiting the shrine located in the Punjab province of Pakistan. This came to the fore when one of the devotees opened the Prasad wrapper, only to find a label of ‘Gold Street International’ brand of cigarette printed on the inside.

Social media has been rife with images of the pinni prasad packet, which, interestingly, carries the photograph of Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib, with ‘Blessings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’, and also an image of Gurdwara Jyoti Jyot Asthan, Sri Guru Nanak Dev, Kartarpur Sahib on the outside. Whereas, on the inside, there was a cigarette advertisement by Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), the parent body of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC).

https://twitter.com/turban_talk/status/1471775574142201862

Since the consumption of Cigarettes and Tobacco is considered a cardinal offense in Sikhism, the members of the Sikh community have been outraged by the use of cigarette packaging as wrappers to pack the prasad in Kartarpur and Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.

The President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa have taken to Twitter to condemn the incident calling it a conspiracy to hurt the faith and harass minority Sikhs in Pakistan. “Sikh sentiments hurt repetitively in Pak This time Sangat given Kadah Prashad in Cigarette wrapper pages at Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib. This smacks of a conspiracy to hurt our faith & harass minority Sikhs in Pak. Earlier, they allowed models to shoot at Gurdwara Sahib premises,” Tweeted Sirsa.

Sikh sentiments hurt repetitively in Pak
This time Sangat given Kadah Prashad in Cigarette wrapper pages at Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib. This smacks of a conspiracy to hurt our faith & harass minority Sikhs in Pak. Earlier, they allowed models to shoot at Gurdwara Sahib premises pic.twitter.com/P1G1RXqs9Q

— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) December 17, 2021

In his subsequent Tweet, the BJP leader shared the picture of the wrapper and urged Pakistan PM Imran Khan to take strict action against the Gurdwara managing authority.

We will not accept such hurtful actions and demand from @ImranKhanPTI Ji strict action against Gurdwara managing authority

Such actions embarrass Sikhs all across the world esp when Sikhism is so much against tobacco@ANi @republic @ZeeNews @TimesNow @thetribunechd @punjabkesari https://t.co/R4vhcxOOC0 pic.twitter.com/lu2WoS8ko0

— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) December 17, 2021

Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC), on the other hand, said in its defense, that an inquiry was carried out after the incident at Kartarpur gurdwara was brought to their notice three days ago in which it was revealed that this was the work of some anti-social elements who probably never wanted the Kartarpur corridor to be opened, said PSGPC chief Ameer Singh.

“We never used such packaging to distribute the prasad at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. We have carried out an inquiry into the incident and based on that, we can say that this is the doing of some anti-social elements who don’t want Kartarpur Corridor to start,” PSGPC chief Ameer Singh was quoted by the Hindi daily, Livehindustan, as saying.

(It is necessary that this incident is carefully probed, but if the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee has really done such an act and is saying all of this to hide the truth from the public, then it is required for Imran Khan to act upon such crimes which are forcing Sikhs to act against their religion without their knowledge.)

Pakistani Model’s ‘bare head’ pictures at Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara triggers controversy

It may be noted that only last month, another controversy had erupted after a Pakistani model had taken pictures, with her ‘bare-head’, at the premises of the shrine. The owner of an online clothing store named Mannat in Pakistan had posted multiple pictures of the model’s photoshoot on the social media account as an advertisement for the clothing brand.

It is notable here that both men and women are required to cover their heads while visiting a Gurudwara.

The Sikh Community had criticized the advertisement and said that the pictures of the Pakistani model posing ‘bare head’ with back towards the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib have hurt the sentiments of the religious community.

President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Manjinder Singh Sirsa had then too demanded strict action against those who misbehaved in religious places of the minorities in Pakistan. He stated that the model posing without covering her head inside the Gurudwara premises is akin to ‘beadbi’ or sacrilege.

A member of the team that posted the pictures of the Pakistani model has issued a video message after the controversy and tendered an apology after the backlash. The model and the clothing brand had also tendered an apology.

Source : OpIndia