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The last rites of these people were performed in Pakistan. Their mortal remains are currently kept in Hindu temples and crematoriums in Karachi. According to Hindu beliefs, if the ashes of a deceased are immersed in the Ganges at Haridwar, their soul reaches heaven and escapes the cycle of rebirth Image Courtesy AFP
Islamabad: For the first time, Pakistani Hindus can immerse the ashes of their dead relatives in the Ganga river in India. The mortal remains of 426 Pakistani Hindus will be immersed in the river Ganges in Haridwar after Prime Minister Narendra Modi amended the sponsorship policy.
The last rites of these people were performed in Pakistan. Their mortal remains are currently kept in Hindu temples and crematoriums in Karachi. According to Hindu beliefs, if the ashes of a deceased are immersed in the Ganges at Haridwar, their soul reaches heaven and escapes the cycle of rebirth.
The Indian government led by PM Modi does not allow entry of Pakistani Hindu pilgrims without any sponsor from India.
According to a report by The Express Tribune, the Indian government has indicated that the family members of the deceased Hindu will be given a 10-day visa to India to immerse their ashes. Between 2011 and 2016, the ashes of 295 Hindus were sent to the Wagah border between India and Pakistan.
Pakistan appreciated India’s move
This will be the first time that a member of a Pakistani Hindu family will himself carry the ashes to Haridwar. Pakistan’s media has ‘appreciated’ this step. Trade between India and Pakistan is closed since 2019. Relations between the two often remain tense. In such a situation, it is almost ‘impossible’ for citizens to get a visa for another country.
Karachi’s Soldier Bazaar and Ranchhor Lines have a sizeable Hindu community who have been living here since long before Partition. Their population is estimated to be between 100,000 and 150,000.
About five lakh Hindus live in Kunri, Nagarparkar and Islamkot in Tharparkar district. Pakistani Hindus used to cremate their dead and keep the ashes in temples or cremation grounds in the hope that one day they would be able to immerse them in the river Ganges.
As per the policy of the Government of India, visa for a family member to take the ashes to Haridwar can be issued only if a family member from India or an acquaintance settled there sponsors them. Most Pakistani Hindus do not have relatives in India. Bones of 300 Hindus are kept in the Ossuary Palace at Sonpuri cremation ground near Old Golimar in Karachi. Apart from this, the ashes of 128 people are also waiting for immersion in the Ganges.
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