Swami Narayan Temple @Karachi City (PAKISTAN)
Pakistani Hindus get visas to perform last rites at Hardwar (India)
ISLAMABAD: Ending their two-decade-long wait, India has finally agreed to issue visas to a large number of Hindus living in Sindh, Pakistan, so that they can immerse the ashes of their loved ones in the Ganga at Hardwar.
In Karachi alone, the ashes of 130 people are lying at a cremation
ground. Hindus believe for eternal transformation, the body must be
cremated and ashes immersed in holy waters. For some, it is the Indus
on whose banks one of the holy Vedas was written, for some it is the
Arabian Sea, but for most Hindus, it is the Ganga. The delay was due to
the tightening of visa procedure because of tension between the
neighbours.
The Pakistan Hindu Foundation (PHF) launched a
struggle in 2008 to persuade the Indian government to simplify the visa
procedure for Pakistani Hindus, especially those in Sindh. PHF also
approached the Pakistan government for help.
Its efforts have
finally yielded result, with India announcing that all Hindus living in
Karachi will be issued visas so that they can perform the final rites
of their kin and immerse their ashes in the Ganga. Hindus in Karachi
welcomed the decision but rued all Pakistani Hindus did not have access
to the holy river.
PHF president DM Maharaj too hailed the
decision, but said the announcement was unjust and visas should be
extended to all Hindus of the province, especially those living in
Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparkar and Sanghar districts.
"Hindus
occupy 230 residential colonies in Karachi since the time of the
British, but the Pakistan government is still to legalise these
colonies. We strongly demand that a lease be granted," he said.
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