Srinagar, Apr 12: Expressing joy and happiness over the festival of Baisakhi, the All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) has expressed hope that the festival of Baisakhi would be a harbinger of peace and prosperity in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
In his message, APSCC Chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina said that a festival like Baisakhi brings about happiness and joy among the people. Raina said such festive occasions provide a chance to the people of different communities to come close to each other while exchanging pleasantries.
“For Sikhs, Baisakhi is celebrated as the day of the creation of the Khalsa Panth. Baisakhi is a sacred and pious day for the community and the community especially the youth should follow the path shown by Guru Gobind Singh Ji for peace and development,” he said.
Raina said that every household in the Sikh community celebrates Baisakhi Day in nearby gurudwaras. “I appeal to the Sikh community on this auspicious day to remain united and calm for redressal of our long pending issues by the government and pray that our issues don’t last for long,” he said.
The other APSCC leaders who extended greetings include Ajit Singh Mastana, Principal Niranjan Singh, Kanwal Kashmiri, Davinder Singh, Hakumat Singh, Sant Singh, Gurdayal Singh, Rajinder Singh, Manjeet Singh and others.
Meanwhile, the APSCC Chairman regretted that the successive governments of Jammu and Kashmir have not taken the festival of Baisakhi seriously even though it is very important for the Sikh community. He said that glaring issues like neglect of the Punjabi language, unemployment and relatively less attention to the celebrations and festivals of the Sikh community are haunting the people.
“This is an election year and the community knows who neglected them in the past,” he said, adding, “It is appropriate time the community unitedly reject those political parties.”
