Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal today appealed to union external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar to take up the issue of the release of two ‘swaroops’ of Sri Guru Granth Sahib from police custody in Qatar.
In a letter to the union minister, the Bathinda MP said the Sikh ‘sangat’ of Qatar was perturbed at the manner in which two ‘swaroops’ of Sri Guru Granth Sahib had been seized around eight months back. She said ‘prakash’ of the holy book was being done at two separate places in Doha since the last nearly 35 years.Asserting that the holy books were being treated as case properties, Mrs Harsimrat Badal said the ‘sangat’ of Doha had been making all efforts to get the holy Granths released from State custody but to no avail. “This has caused significant stress to the Sikhs in Qatar and elsewhere”, she added.
While urging the union minister to intervene to resolve this impasse, Mrs Badal also appealed to Dr Jaishankar to take up the issue of establishment of ‘gurdwaras’ in Qatar so that Sikhs could practice their religion freely. “Sikhs feel that they too should be allowed to worship in gurdwaras in the same manner as Christians. As Gurdwaras are allowed in some other Islamic countries including neighbouring Dubai (UAE), the Qatari government may also be requested to allow the Sikh community to establish its own gurdwaras on the same pattern in Qatar”. Badal also urged the minister to direct the Indian Embassy in Qatar to take up this issue with the Qatari government so that all formalities for the release of the two ‘swaroops’ of the holy book could be done at the earliest. “The Embassy may also assure Sikhs in Qatar that it will try its best to ensure they are allowed freedom to profess their religion”, she added.
