Pak arbitrarily transferred management of Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara, violated UNGA resolution: India

India has strongly hit out against Pakistan for arbitrarily transferring the management of the Sikh holy shrine Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara and violating an UN General Assembly resolution, saying Islamabad’s move goes against Sikh religion and its preservation and protection. In November, Pakistan transferred the management and maintenance of the Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara from the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to the administrative control of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, a non-Sikh body. Last month, Pakistan arbitrarily transferred the management of the Sikh holy shrine, Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara, from Sikh Community body to the administrative control of a non-Sikh body, First Secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Ashish Sharma said in the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. The UNGA resolution ‘Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace’ adopted in December last year welcomes the initiative to open up the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor in the spirit of interfaith harmony and peaceful neighbourhood, and appreciates the agreement between the Governments of India and Pakistan to allow visa-free access to pilgrims of all faiths, especially ‘Nanak Naam Levas’ and the Sikh community from across the world, as a landmark initiative for interreligious and intercultural cooperation for peace.