Thursday, December, 13 2012 - ISLAMABAD: Concerned over the dwindling number of children able to speak in Gurmukhi, the Sikhs in Pakistan have demanded the government establish separate institution for the community so that the language of their scriptures can be taught to the community members.
Sardar Bishon Singh, former president of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (PSGPC), said he would take a delegation to the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) chairman in this regard.
"Once the ETPB establishes a separate institution, Sikhs will hire Sikh educationists to teach Gurmukhi," he said. "If our children are not taught Gurmukhi, they will not be able to read our sacred scriptures. Muslim students are taught Arabic in schools to help them read the Holy Quran. Our children should also be taught Gurmukhi, so they can read the Guru Granth Sahib," Sikh residents said.
They underlined that it was for the government to set up separate institutions for Sikhs as private schools cannot afford a separate teacher for Gurmukhi.
"Private schools cannot afford a separate teacher for Gurmukhi. The government should establish a separate institution for Sikh children in the city,” a resident was quoted as saying by the Daily Times newspaper.
Sikh families told the Pakistani daily that around 25 Sikh children studying in various schools of Lahore are not being taught Gurmukhi.
Though Sikhs constitute a very small minority in Pakistan, they have many cultural, historical and political ties to the country, and to the historical region of Punjab.
Lahore, the capital of Pakistani province of Punjab, has many important religious and historical sites for Sikhs. The nearby town of Nankana Sahib has nine gurdwaras, and is the birthplace of Sikhism's founder, Guru Nanak Dev. Nankana Sahib remains an important site of pilgrimage for Sikhs worldwide.
According to government statistics, there are three schools in Pakistan where Gurmukhi is being taught. One school is situated in Nankana Sahib and two are in Peshawar, the influential Pakistani daily said.
The ETPB and the PSGPC have established the school at Nankana where Sikh children are taught Gurmukhi as a separate subject. Schools in Peshawar also teach Gurmukhi and Guru Granth Sahib to the children of the community, it said.
An ETPB official said the ETPB had not received any demand from the Sikh community so far.