Festival of Baisakhi harbinger of peace & prosperity in J&K: APSCC

Srinagar: All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) on Thursday has expressed hope that the festival of Baisakhi will be a harbinger of peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement, APSCC Chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina while expressing joy and happiness over the festival of Baisakhi, said that 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 really 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,” said Raina.
The APSCC Chairman said that every household of Sikh community celebrates Baisakhi day in nearby gurudwaras. “I appeal to all 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 dont last for long”, Raina said.
Raina alleged 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 Punjabi language, unemployment and relatively less attention to the celebrations and festivals of sikh community are haunting the people of the community.
“After criminalisation of politics in states and UTs now criminals are trying to enter religious organisations. It is my appeal to the Sikhs of Jammu and Kashmir to refrain from entertaining any criminal in Gurudwara affairs. The community should segregate themselves from such harmful elements and learn the lesson of what happened in the past,” Raina added.
Meanwhile, members of Sikh community attired in traditional dress took out a religious procession in uptown Srinagar ahead of the Baisakhi festival being celebrated on Friday.
UNI