Pakistan: The Taliban and the Endangered Sikhs of Peshawar

In Peshawar's noisy and manic Dabgari bazaar, bearded men weaving in and out of the curbside stores are a ubiquitous sight. (There are few women in the market). Most of them wear round, white Pashtun hats, a fixture in these parts. But there are a substantial number of merchants who, though also bearded and dressed in the traditional shalwar kameez, are adorned with the intricately wound and colorful turbans of those who profess the Sikh religion. Many of them live just a few streets away from the market, where the noise and rubbish-strewn streets fall away and are replaced by a warren of winding narrow alleyways, swept clean, and lined by brick homes, many of which despite being caked in decades of dust and disrepair still maintain a haughty grandeur. This is Jogan Shah, the Sikh neighborhood of Peshawar.

Sikhs and Hindus are tiny and embattled communities in Pakistan. As small, non-Muslim populations, especially in the volatile, religiously conservative northwest, they were easy prey for the Taliban. That's why the population of Jogan Shah has spiked in recent years. Sikhs like Darsha Singh, displaced from his village of Orakzai in the war-ravaged tribal territories further northwest, have sought refuge with their co-religionists in Peshawar, which now hosts some 500 families, the largest Sikh population in Pakistan.

With thanks : Time.com : link in headline above for DETAILED REPORT.

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Kavi Sammelan at Kolkatta by Sahitay Akademy

with regards
Jagmohan singh Gill
Gen secy
Punjabi Sahit Sabha
kolkata

Message - Sri Akal Takht Sahib - dated 1.4.06

Hukamnama - Sri Akal Takht Sahib - dated 16.3.98

Temples 'breaking the Sikh code' on meat and alcohol

By Aftab Gulzar
BBC Asian Network

Some gurdwaras in the UK are going against their religion by serving meat and alcohol on their premises, according to an association of Sikh followers.

The UK Sangat, an association of Sikh followers, has started a national campaign to stop what it says is the violation of the basic principles of Sikhism.

Some Sikhs have protested, stopping one gurdwara in Edinburgh and one in Essex from going against the teachings.

UK Sangat said there were at least another 15 temples in Britain flouting the rules, which they planned to approach.

The Sikh religion forbids the use of alcohol and other intoxicants.

Sikhs are also not allowed eat meat - the principle is to keep the body pure.

All gurdwaras are supposed to follow the Sikh code, known as the Akal Takht Sandesh, which comes from the highest Sikh authority in India.

SHOCKING :

The detailed news can be viewed with thanks to BBC News : link in headline above.

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Sikh cab driver, mistaken for Muslim, attacked in California

A Sikh cab driver in Northern California was attacked after assailants mistook him for a Muslim.

Harbhajan Singh was attacked by two men, who shouted profanities and called him Osama Bin Laden. He escaped when a woman with the attackers intervened and put herself between them, reports Associated Press (AP).

Singh believes the men intended to kill him because he wears a turban.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been approached by The Council on American-Islamic Relations to investigate if the attack was racially motivated.

with thanks : tribune.com.pk

Amritsar-Toronto flight to resume soon

New Delhi The government on Tuesday decided to soon resume the Amritsar-Toronto Air India flight, the discontinuation of which since October has caused a lot of problems to frequent non-resident Indian fliers to Punjab.

The assurance to restore the flight was given by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who headed a SAD-BJP delegation to lodge strong protest over the cancellation of the flight.

The national carrier had withdrawn the service as part of cost - cutting measures and on the ground that the airlines was making huge losses in the sector.

with thanks : expressindia : link in headline for detailed news.

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