Rs14m approved for Shamshan Ghat Lahore upgrade
The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has approved Rs14 million for upgrading of crematorium (Shamshan Ghat) established on over 36 kanals of land near Babu Sabu Chowk, Ravi River, The News has learnt.
In 2006, Hindu community of Lahore had been granted a crematorium (Shamshan Ghat) to perform last rituals of their dead ones. A Shamshan Ghat is a platform designed for the cremation of bodies of people belonging to Hindu and Sikh faiths.
The Shamshan Ghat is located on river bank so that the ashes of the body can be disposed of in accordance with the tradition, said President Hindu Council of Pakistan Manwar Chand.
Manwar Chand thanked the government and said before this the Hindus of Lahore used to cremate the body on the banks of Ravi with the permission of the city district government. He said the government accepted the demand of Hindus that last rites should only be performed in a Shamshan Ghat. He said before the establishment of Shamshan Ghat, bodies were taken to Nankana Sahib, 75-km away from Lahore for cremation. Now the Shamshan Ghat is available in Lahore which is a big relief for Pakistani Hindu community. According to ETPB Secretary Tariq Wazir Khan, Pakistan is a minority friendly country where minorities enjoy equal rights as per law. He said it is actually a relief for the Hindu population because proper cremation makes a vital part of their faith. Manwar Chand shared with The News that his mother was also cremated here. Now, relatives of the deceased can stand during the rituals. Everything which we needed the government provided us, he said.
The walled crematorium, divided into two parts, would serve both the Hindus and Sikhs, said Faraz Abbas, deputy secretary shrines. He said all required facilities have been provided to the Shamshan Ghat whereas arrangements are being made for some shady area after the instruction of Chairman ETPB Dr Aamir Ahmed.
Sixty-three years after the partition of the Indian sub-continent, Lahore's Hindu community has finally been granted a crematorium (Shamshaan Ghaat) to perform last rituals of their dead.
Figures show about a million Hindus are living in the Punjab alone. The organisations working for welfare of Pakistan's Hindu community such as Pakistan Balmik Sabha and Hindu Balmik Sudhar Sabha had been striving tirelessly since partition for funds for construction of a Shamshan Ghat in Lahore. The community partially succeeded in achieving the goal in 1976 when the Evacuee Property Trust Board allotted it a place on Bund Road for construction of a Shamshan Ghat. However, the land turned out to be a disputed property and the Hindus were made to vacate it.
Some 20 years later, the need for a crematorium in the city was badly felt in 2006 when the body of a 62-year-old Hindu woman, Radha, who died in the Mayo Hospital, had to be kept in the mortuary for five days for the absence of some proper place to perform last rites. She was eventually laid to rest in Miani Sahib graveyard as a last resort. The incident was highlighted in the Indian media and a newspaper published on its front page the story of Radha under the headline: “Even dead Hindus do not find a place in Pakistan”. At this point, the Pakistan government realised that the Hindu community's demand could no longer be sidelined. Subsequently, a plan was approved to set up a Shamshan Ghat sprawling over 36 kanals near the Babu Sabu Chowk, close to the Ravi River.
A Shamshan Ghat is a platform designed for the cremation of bodies of people belonging to Hindu and Sikh faiths. Ideally, a Shamshan Ghat is located on river bank so that the ashes of the body can be disposed of in accordance with the tradition. At Partition, Lahore had 11 Hindu crematoria, the main ones being in Model Town, Taxali gate and near the Krishna Mandar. But with the passage of time these buildings were occupied and the new owners turned them into residences. By 2006, when Radha died, not even a single functional Shamshan Ghat existed in the city.
In the absence of such a place, the Hindus of Lahore had three options when it came to disposing of their dead; the first was to cremate the body on the banks of Ravi with the permission of the city government. But, the Hindus considered this disrespectful to the dead, as according to them last rites should only be performed in a Shamshan Ghat. The second option was to take the body to Nankana Sahib, located some 75 kilometers west of Lahore, and carry out the cremation at a Shamshan Ghat there. However, many Hindus could not afford taking their dead that far and usually opted for the third option --- burying them. This was affordable and thus feasible.
Now to great relief for the Hindus whose population has swelled to about a million in Punjab, a purpose-built crematorium has finally been made available to them.
Dr Ram Chand, working in a private hospital, says, “It is actually a relief for the Hindu population because proper cremation makes a vital part of their faith and Mohammad Ali Jinnah had assured every person who chose to live in Pakistan that he or she would be free to practice their religion here.”
The walled crematorium, divided into two parts, would serve both the Hindus and Sikhs.
“There are toilets, a water tank and a water pumping motor," said Munawar Chand, the secretary general of the Pakistan Balmik Sabha, a non-government organisation named after Guru Balmik Swami, the author of Ramayan. “My own mother was cremated here last year. We are thankful to the government to have accepted our demand, at last.” However, he said, “We are still in need of electricity supply and a covered area where the relatives of the deceased could stand during the rituals.” He said plantation is required as well.
Faraz Abbas, deputy secretary shrines, said a generator had already been provided to the Shamshan Ghat whereas arrangements are being made for some shady area.
Though its government's responsibility to provide conducive environment to minorities so that they could freely practice their religious rites, such 'small favours' can make them feel comfortable and secure in Pakistan and have a positive impact on national solidarity.
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