Jahangeer Ganaie
Pulwama, May 05 : In a touching display of communal harmony, a retired Sikh teacher in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district has donated land to create an access path for a Muslim graveyard. This act underscores the strong and lasting bonds between the Sikh and Muslim communities in the region.
Retired teacher Pushwinder Singh, a resident of Saimoh Tral, provided a strip of his land to ensure easy access to the graveyard, which has long been used by the local Muslim community for burials.
Speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Singh said Kashmir is a land of saints and a prime example of communal harmony, a tradition he believes will continue. Singh said his ancestors have lived in the area with strong inter-community relations, and while there might be occasional issues within their own religious groups, there have never been problems between different faiths, particularly in Tral.
“I provided land measuring 90×6 ft for the way of the graveyard so that Muslims won’t face any problems when they have to bury anyone,” he said.
Singh said whenever a Muslim from the area passes away and is to be buried in the nearby graveyard, he and other Sikhs assist with arrangements like providing light, bricks and other necessities, and stay until all work is completed. “Everyone should take such steps to strengthen brotherhood, as ‘humanity comes before religion’,” he remarked.
Local Muslims said they have lived in harmony and brotherhood for centuries, a bond that no force can break.
Ghulam Hassan, a local, said Pushwinder Singh even exchanged land with another person to acquire the specific plot needed for the graveyard access.
Both communities participate in each other’s joys and sorrows, united by humanity rather than divided by religion,” he said.
Locals said they will continue to live together in brotherhood for generations to come—(KNO)
