As the Sikh jatha from India prepares to return from Pakistan after celebrating the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, a “cultural programme” purportedly held near Gurudwara Sri Dehra Sahib in Lahore on Wednesday evening has sparked debate.
Sources said the event, organised by the Pakistan government in the presence of officials from the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), reportedly included Bhangra, dance, and singing.
Ramesh Singh Arora, Provincial Minister for Minorities Affairs in Punjab, Pakistan, and president of the PSGPC, said the matter was being unnecessarily sensationalised.
In an audio message, he clarified that the event was a “Sufi night” organised in honour of Sikh pilgrims and took place at Hazuri Bagh, in front of Lahore Fort, far away from the gurdwara premises.
“The site is part of the masjid complex and located opposite Shahi Qila. This place is generally utilised to hold programmes for state guests. It was not a ‘naach-gana’ event but a Sufi night performed by our artists. But some Sikhs, on their own, attempted little dance moves to the rhythm… No one from our side told them to do so,” he said.
The main event commemorating Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary was held at Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Sri Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the first Sikh Guru, on November 7.