Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 27: To explore the possibility of reopening world famous Sharda Shrine for Hindu pilgrims of India, particularly Kashmiri Pandits and to pave a way for throwing it open to religious tourism, a five -member delegation of Pakistan Hindu Council, (PHC) led by ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA, Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, visited the ancient ‘temple’ site in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Tuesday.
Located in Sharda, some 137 kilometres Northeast of Muzaffarabad in the upper belt of Neelum Valley, the temple is revered by the Hindu community, particularly the Kashmiri Pandits and it is one of the ancient Hindu shrines in the world dating back to Puranic period.
On the other side of Kashmir, different organisations including “Save Sharda Committee” (SSC), All Parties Migrant Coordination Committee, (APMCC) and Pir Panchal has been campaigning for opening up of an exclusive crossing along the Line of Control for “pilgrimage” to Sharda by the Hindu community. The Save Sharda Committee is led by Ravinder Pandita while APMCC is led by Vinod Pandita and Pir Panchal by Ramesh Hangloo.
The demand was first raised by Pir Panchal in nineties at national level. It was also highlighted by the organisation head before a team of journalists from Pakistan and its civil society members who had visited Jammu two decades back. The visiting Pak journalist team which was accompanied to the State by the senior journalist and former Editor Times of India, Dilip Padgoankar had assured to take up the issue with Government of Pakistan.
APMCC which also launched a struggle for various demands of displaced Pandits sat on hunger strike in 2011 at Jammu and in 2013 at Porebandhar, Gujarat among other issues had demanded opening of Sharda Shrine for Hindu pilgrims and it is on its agenda also.
SSC has also launched a campaign in this regard and it too took up the issue with civil society of Pakistan as well as Indian Government demanding reopening of shrine for pilgrimage.
It may be recalled that in March this year, a section of Pakistani media had (wrongly) claimed that Prime Minister, Imran Khan had given a “green signal” to open Sharda Temple Corridor in Pak for the Hindu pilgrims on the pattern of Kartarpur Corridor.
However, sources in the PaK Government later refuted the same saying that immediately they had no plans to allow visitors from across the Line of Control LoC.
Sources said some time back Pak Occupied Kashmir, Prime Minister, Raja Farooq Haider had indicated at a high level meeting that Pakistan based Hindu community would be allowed, in the first place, to visit Sharda.
It was in the wake of this decision that senior civilian and military authorities had undertaken a joint visit to Sharda to see for themselves the facilities and requirements in the event of inflow of religious tourists.
Both authorities had resolved to take joint measures “on an urgent basis” to protect archaeological sites and promote ecotourism in Pak.
According to sources, Prime Minister Haider had made up his mind around same time to invite Dr Vankwani as a first Hindu visitor to the area.
Dr Vankwani arrived in Muzaffarabad on Monday along with four other members of Pakistan Hindu Council, and called on Haider at a dinner in the PM House.
Speaking to them, Haider pointed out that Kashmir was home to the followers of different religions and faiths since centuries and enjoyed exemplary religious harmony. “Religious extremism had never found space in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in Kashmir Valley.
He told the visitors that his Government had conceived a comprehensive plan to protect and revive the worship and other sacred places of non-Muslims and only recently he had visited a Hindu temple in the heart of Muzaffarabad city to see for himself its repair and renovation work.
Vankwani expressed his gratitude to the PoK premier and said since Sharda was a revered site for Hindus they wanted to work in close coordination with the PoK Government for its renovation and preservation.
According to sources, Vankwani and his colleagues were accompanied to Sharda by PaK Secretary for Tourism and Information Midhat Shahzad, Director General Tourism and Archaeology Pirzada Irshad Ahmed and some other officials on the direction of PM Haider.
Sharda the Goddess of wisdom and knowledge is the presiding deity of Kashmiri Pandits and in ancient times a University existed there. The shrine was guarded by a garrison during the rule Maharaja.
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