M A I N   N E W S

‘USA considering Iraq gurdwara repair’
Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 28
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today said his proposal for carrying out kar seva for the repair and reconstruction of “damaged’’ gurdwara in Baghdad was being “actively looked’’ into by the US Embassy.

The Chief Minister, who today met Union Law and Justice Minister Arun Jaitley and Attorney-General Soli Sorabjee regarding Punjab’s position on the river water issue, told ‘The Tribune’ here that he was hopeful of getting a reply from the US Embassy by next week.

The Chief Minister said the embassy had communicated to him about the proposal being actively looked into. He said in his communication to the US Ambassador, he had suggested sending a team led by Mr R. S. Kalha, former Indian Ambassador to Baghdad who was also the president of the gurdwara in Baghdad. The team, which would also have members from INTACH, would make an assessment of the damage suffered by the gurdwara, the Chief Minister said. He informed that about 100 Sikh families were living in Baghdad.

About the BJP’s criticism of his writing to the US Ambassador directly and not routing the proposal through the Ministry of External Affairs, the Chief Minister said BJP’s criticism was unjustified as the kar seva would be carried out as per Sikh traditions. “I will go there as a Sikh,’’ he said, adding that anybody could join the kar seva. “This has nothing to do with state government.... I have made the proposal as a Sikh,’’ he said.

At his meetings with Mr Jaitley and Mr Sorabjee, the Chief Minister presented Punjab’s position on the river water issue. “They were sympathetic,’’ the Chief Minister said. The river water issue is likely to come up for hearing before the Supreme Court on May 5.

‘No gurdwara in Iraq’
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 28
Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Tarlochan Singh has dismissed the Congress demand for repair and reconstruction of the historic gurdwara in Baghdad as “a non-issue.’’

Speaking at a reception hosted in his honour by the Sikh samaj at the Constitution Club here on Sunday evening, Mr Tarlochan Singh said, “Where does the question of repair and reconstruction of gurdwara in Baghdad arise when no gurdwara exists there?’’

He said the Iraqi Government never allowed the construction of any gurdwara in their country.

“During his visit to Iraq in 1991, the then President, Giani Zail Singh, had requested Saddam Hussein to build a gurdwara where Guru Nanak Dev visited Fakir Behlol in the 16th century. The Iraqi Government never allowed a commemorative structure there. The site being referred to has graves of two saints, Behlol and Dastgir, and three rooms. The gravestone makes a mention of Guru Nanak Dev’s visit. The rooms are used for congregation of Sikhs from time to time,’’ he said.