Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, June 6: A delegation of Save Sharda Committee Kashmir (SSCK) called Union Minister of State in PMO with independent charge of North Eastern States, Dr. Jitendra Singh and MoS Finance , Anurag Thakur and demanded re-opening of Sharda pilgrimage in PoK.
Save Sharda Committee , Kashmir members called on the two ministers at their
residence in New Delhi and honoured them for being inducted in the Union Ministry.
The delegation was led by Head & Founder of the Committee, Ravinder Pandita. It apprised the ministers regarding their efforts in re-opening of pilgrimage to Sharda Peeth in POK on the lines of Sikh pilgrimage to Nankana Sahib in Lahore, Pakistan and Kartarpur Sahib. The Committee demanded that the pilgrimage should be allowed for J&K Hindus on LOC permit as is valid for Kashmiri Muslims for trade and meeting their relatives. The ministers assured the members that the demands would be met and sought the appraisal from the concerned officials of MHA on the files submitted already in this regard.
Sharda Peeth, the basic seat of learning of Hindus, is now in ruins in PoK. It may be recalled that Save Sharda Committee has offered flowers and brought the soil from there through civil society in PoK and later installed a photo of Sharda Mai at the temple in PoK in March this year.
The Committee has secured orders for preservation of shrine from SC of PoK in January last year. This year the Committee took up the matter for maintaining the sanctity of the Peeth and got orders from DG Archeology & Tourism PoK.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, while lauding the efforts of the Committee said that Ministry of Defence and MHA is already working on the resumption of yatra by obtaining security clearance. The Committee was further given to understand that even External Affairs Ministry has also written to their counterparts in Pakistan regarding this. The issue came up in Rajya Sabha also as question on December 2018.
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