Friday, July 17, 2020

Sikh Community Extends Support to Members of All Faiths During Pandemic:Reflecting The Strong bond of Interfaith Harmony in Pakistan.

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A Sikh volunteer offers face masks to passersby during a coronavirus awareness campaign in April in Peshawar.
Peshawar --The Sikh community and other religious minorities are working to help those suffering from the coronavirus pandemic, reflecting the strong bond of interfaith harmony in Pakistan.
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A Sikh volunteer helps cook meals that will be distributed to needy residents of Karachi
Khalid Saleem, a carpenter who survives on daily wages, was surprised to see a young Sikh man standing at the main gate of his house in the Mohallah Jogan Shah neighbourhood in Peshawar.
After sharing pleasantries, Khalid learned that the man had come to provide food since Khalid had lost his income because of the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, which kept him from working.
"I can never forget this generous and timely support by the minority community and am very thankful to my Sikh brothers for this act of kindness," he said.
Interfaith Harmony :
The Sikh community's generous support of those affected by the coronavirus reflects the strong bond of interfaith harmony in Pakistan.
 imageA Sikh volunteer helps a worker of the Al-Khidmat Foundation in sanitizing  a church in Karachi.
"We have provided all kinds of help to those affected by the coronavirus and supplied food at [residents'] doorsteps," said Jatindar Singh, a Sikh resident of Peshawar and chairman of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chapter of the National Council of Peace and Harmony.
"The Sikh community has worked in collaboration with a number of charity organisations and donated financial assistance to help and support our countrymen who are facing problems due to restrictions on commercial activities from the coronavirus outbreak," Singh said.
Apart from providing relief, the Sikh community has participated in campaigns to raise awareness among the general public on safety measures against the coronavirus, he added.
"The Sikh community and representatives of other minority groups including Christian and Hindus have taken part in campaigns launched to help and raise awareness... during the pandemic," said Ubaid Ullah, president of the Pak-Youth Parliament.
Pakistanis appreciate the goodwill gestures by the minority community, he added.
"In Nankana Sahib, a district in Punjab Province ... named after the first guru of Sikhs, Sikh community members distributed food and sanitiser," said Surjeet Singh Kanwal, general secretary of the Pakistan Sikh Council.
The Sikh community has installed a walk-through sanitiser gate on the main road in the district, through which thousands of pedestrians and even motorcyclists pass daily.

Dr.Gurdeep Kaur

Associate Professor

Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College

University of Delhi


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