The visit by a group of 50 Hindus from India to an ancient temple in Pakistani Punjab to celebrate Shivratri festival has encouraged the Kashmiri pandits to revive their call to allow them to travel to Sharda, near Muzaffar-abad, to pay obeisance at one of their most revered religious places and important, ancient seats of learning.
“We’ve been craving for it for the past many years and, in fact, when the trans-LoC bus was about to begin fortnightly in April 2005 we had requested both the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Centre to allow some of us board the first bus to go across to visit Sharda. That would have not only been a beginning to fulfil our long-cherished dream but also given impetus to the confidence building effort,” said Makhan Lal Bhat, a Kashmiri pandit activist.
[The group of pilgrims from India which had crossed over to Pakistan through the Wagah border at the weekend has celebrated Maha Shivaratri at the Katasraj ancient Hindu temple near Chakwal, considered as sacred in Hindu mythology, after six years. The last delegation of Hindus had visited Pakistan in 2006 and later regular visits by Indians to Hindu temples remained suspended.]
Though it is unclear if the government of India took up the issue of allowing Kashmiri pandits to travel to Sharda with the authorities in Islamabad or not, Ajay Chrungoo, a community leader, believes it did “but apparently there was no response from the other side.”
He said, “The community leaders did discuss the issue with the authorities both in Srinagar and New Delhi and, in fact, a group of activists led by Pran Nath Taku held a candle-light rally near the LoC to drive home both India and Pakistan the fervent desire with the Kashmiri pandit to be allowed to visit Sharda but no forward movement took place.”
A senior government official in PoK had told this correspondent earlier in November 2004 that it would not only throw Sharda open to Kashmiri pandits but also facilitate their visit.