Make Gurmukhi compulsory for Sikhs, community tells Pak govt

Islamabad, Apr 14 (PTI) Pakistan's minority Sikh
community has called on the government to introduce Gurmukhi,
the language used in their religious texts, as a compulsory
subject for Sikh students in schools.

Leaders of the community, including Mahinder Singh and
Meheet Kaur from Nankana Sahib, Mohabat Singh from Buner,
Gullband Singh from Peshawar and Beena Singh from the tribal
areas, said there are over 2.5 million Sikh students in
schools across the country who are not being taught Gurmukhi.

They said Gurmukhi is being taught in only three schools
in Pakistan -– one in Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru
Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, and two in Peshawar.

The Sikh leaders told the Dawn newspaper at Gurdwara
Punja Sahib in Hasanabdal, where they had gathered for the
Baisakhi festival, that it is necessary for the government to
introduce Gurmukhi as a compulsory subject for Sikh students.

The Evacuee Trust Property Board, which maintains Sikh
shrines across Pakistan, and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara
Parbhandak Committee established the school in Nankana Sahib
where Sikh children are taught Gurmukhi as a separate subject.
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PAK-SIKHS 2 LAST

Former Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee
president Soran Singh said there is a dire need for
establishing Gurmukhi schools, especially in Buner in the
North West Frontier Province, where a large number of Sikhs
live. Buner was recently in the news after a large number of
Taliban fighters from Swat moved into the district and took
over several villages.

"Our children should be taught Gurmukhi so they can read
the Guru Granth Sahib. Private schools cannot afford separate
teachers for Gurmukhi. The government should establish a
separate institution for Sikh children in the city," Soran
Singh said.

Some Sikhs said the government should also establish a
separate institution for their children in Lahore. Sikhs
constitute a small minority in Pakistan but have close
cultural, historical and political ties to the country. PTI
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