LAHORE: The provincial government of Pakistan’s Punjab province announced on Tuesday its plan to reinstall the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the first ruler of the Sikh Empire, at Kartarpur Sahib. This decision aims to allow visiting Sikhs from India to also view the statue.
Kartarpur Sahib, also known as Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, is located approximately 150 km northeast of Lahore, near the Indian border.
The nine-foot-tall bronze statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was originally installed at Lahore Fort near his Samadhi in 2019. However, it was vandalized twice by activists of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a far-right Islamic political party in Pakistan.
Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Punjab’s first Sikh Minister and President of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), informed PTI, “We are planning to reinstall Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur on Wednesday afternoon in the presence of local and Indian Sikhs.”
Arora said that the restored statue is being moved to Kartarpur Sahib specifically so that visiting Indian Sikhs can view it, ensuring better security measures to safeguard the statue.
He further stated that the restoration work on Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue is already underway and nearing completion.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who founded the Sikh Empire and ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early 19th century from his capital in Lahore, holds significant historical importance for Sikhs.
Currently, 455 Sikhs who recently arrived from India to participate in events marking Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death anniversary will be present at Kartarpur Sahib on Wednesday for the unveiling of the statue.
