Minority leaders oppose Sindh move to divide ETPB control

LAHORE/KARACHI – Representatives of minority communities have expressed serious reservations over the Sindh government’s decision to appoint deputy commissioners as administrators of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) properties and religious sites in all districts of the province demanding that the federal status of the ETPB be maintained.

In a joint press conference, minority leaders said that the management of gurdwaras, temples and other trust properties should continue under an integrated federal system rather than being divided at the provincial level.

“ETPB is symbol of minorities and federation”

According to minority leaders, dividing the ETPB’s jurisdiction among provinces could undermine the existing federal system for managing minority religious sites, facilitating pilgrims and protecting religious heritage.

Sikh community leader Sardar Bishan Singh said that the ETPB was a symbol of the federation and should not be given a provincial character. He said, “Dividing the ETPB is tantamount to dividing minorities.”

He said the maintenance of religious sites and arrangements for Sikh and Hindu pilgrims were being managed more effectively through an integrated national system.

Emphasis on ETPB’s federal role

Minority representatives said the ETPB was responsible not only for managing religious properties but also for several important matters including facilities for Sikh and Hindu pilgrims arriving from abroad, security arrangements, coordination with Pakistani diplomatic missions and the maintenance of gurdwaras and temples.

According to them, the ETPB’s Shrines Branch plays an important role in the protection, renovation and restoration of religious sites. Sardar Bishan Singh said that the provision of facilities to Sikh and Hindu pilgrims and the management of their religious sites were currently being carried out through an integrated federal system.

Referring to the Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950 and the Pant-Mirza Agreement of 1955, he said that properties included in the trust pool were neither transferable nor saleable.

Legal objections to provincial law

Minority leaders also raised legal questions regarding the Sindh government’s move arguing that the Sindh Evacuee Trust Properties Act 2019 conflicts with federal law and constitutional requirements.

Sardar Jaskaran Singh maintained that a provincial government could not acquire merely through legislation, powers that had not been transferred to the provinces under the Constitution.

He said that despite the 18th Amendment, the ETPB had not been transferred to the provinces and that its federal status remained intact under Article 270-AA.

According to the leaders, a provincial law relating to evacuee trust properties exists in the records of the Sindh Assembly potentially creating a legal dispute between federal and provincial jurisdictions.

Religious harmony and Pakistan’s global image

Minority representatives said that protecting gurdwaras, temples and other religious sites was not merely an administrative matter but was directly linked to religious harmony, minority rights and Pakistan’s international image.

They said better management and protection of these sites could further strengthen Pakistan’s positive and minority-friendly image around the world.

Demand for immediate federal intervention

Minority leaders urged the President of Pakistan, Prime Minister, Field Marshal and federal government to take immediate notice of the Sindh government’s decision and ensure that the federal status of the ETPB was maintained at all costs.

They demanded that:

• The federal status of the ETPB should be maintained.
• Gurdwaras, temples and trust properties should be protected from provincial division.
• An integrated federal system should continue to protect the religious and legal rights of Sikh, Hindu and other minority communities.

The minority leaders warned that instead of dividing ETPB management among different provinces, an effective and uniform national system should be further strengthened.