Former DSGMC president Manjit Singh GK on Friday urged Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to hand over the complete management of gurdwara properties from the country's Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) to an independent, autonomous Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) in view of the reports of encroachment of such properties in connivance with the "corrupt officials" of ETBP.
In the letter dated November 29, Singh has drawn Khan's attention to the reports of "massive corruption" in the ETBP and urged him to take steps towards clearing all the encroachments and possessions of the land of Sikh gurdwaras or Hindu temples.
"There have been reports about massive corruption in the ETPB and land sharks have also grabbed huge properties in connivance with corrupt officials of ETBP," the letter reads. "It is clear that the properties of the gurdwara and Hindu temples are being grabbed or encroached upon with connivance of the corrupt officials of the ETBP," adds the letter.
"However, our primary issue is that gurdwara properties in Pakistan should not be treated evacuee and their complete management should be given to the autonomous PSGPC and the properties attached to these Gurdwaras should either be registered in the revue record in the name of Guru Granth Sahib or PSGPC," says the letter.
"I wish to draw your attention to another important aspect related to Sikh historical gurdwaras. Even as the Pakistan Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee was formed by the Pakistan government around 20 years back for the management of these gurdwaras but this acts merely as an organ of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETBP) as the properties of the Gurdwaras are treated as evacuee properties," the letter reads.
Referring to the Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950, he said that "it was decided that in India a Muslim would head the evacuee Property Trust and in Pakistan, a Sikh or Hindu would head the Evacuee property board. However, in Pakistan, a Muslim keeps on heading the Board while in India only Muslims head similar boards."
( With inputs from ANI )