Thank you Nafees Sahib, your post along with those of a few others have been a source of great encouragement, for these have restored my confidence in my being a patriotic Pakistani as many had dubbed me to be a Hindu/Sikh Lover, Raw agent and one had even suggested me to migrate to India for he felt that Pakistan would be better off without me.
Thank you once again for treating me as a Pakistani.
Warmly
Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)
----- Original Message -----From: Nafees MuhammadSent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 6:28 PMSubject: Re: [pakistanpress] Re: Re Pakistan's Deputy Attorney General polishes shoes of devotees at Delhi Gurdwara - The News, Lahore--Colonel Saheb,My salute to you for showing this gesture to a real noble person from a society that is heavily submerged under the religious hatred. I wish and pray that the extremists and their supporters in the garb of politicians, military men, and media persons should take a lead from Khurshid Saheb and stop favoring the Taliban.Nafees
From: Riaz Jafri <jafri@rifiela.com>
To: pakpotpourri1@googlegroups.com; pakistanpress@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 3:52 AM
Subject: [pakistanpress] Re: Re Pakistan's Deputy Attorney General polishes shoes of devotees at Delhi Gurdwara - The News, Lahore
--I salute Khurshid, a GREAT and NOBLE man. May Allah (SWT) reward him for his Sevadari, ameen.May we learn from him to love humanity and not kill each other, ameen summa ameen.Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)----- Original Message -----From: mian saleemSent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 3:40 PMSubject: FW: Re Pakistan's Deputy Attorney General polishes shoes of devotees at Delhi Gurdwara - The News, Lahore
Pakistan's Deputy Attorney General polishes shoes of devotees at Delhi GurdwaraNEW DELHI: A man in a maroon kurta sits hunched on the floor on Sunday afternoon, polishing the shoes of devotees at a room in Delhi's Gurdwara Rakabganj, reports Times of India.
It's a common sight in gurdwaras, except that this man is Pakistan's deputy attorney general, Muhammad Khurshid Khan, who had requested he be allowed to perform seva (community service) at the shrine.
Khurshid, 62, is an eminent lawyer and a devout Muslim from Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He is in Delhi for a judicial conference. "I have been more keen on visiting various places of worship here to promote harmony between India and Pakistan," says Khurshid.
Khurshid's tryst with temples and gurdwaras began in 2010 to "heal the wounds of minorities in Pakistan by becoming their sevadar (performer of service)". For him, it was a "penance" for crimes committed by the Taliban.
In February that year, the Taliban had kidnapped three Sikhs from Peshawar and demanded a $235,000 ransom. Pakistan Army rescued two of them, but the third, Jaspal Singh, was killed by the captors. After the killing, Khurshid performed service at a gurdwara in Peshawar. "I seek harmony among all religions," says Khurshid, citing Pakistan's pluralistic heritage. "I am a Muslim, not a terrorist; I am a Khan, not a terrorist; I am from Pakistan, but not a terrorist."
This is Pakistani deputy attorney general Muhammad Khurshid Khan's humble submission as he visits gurdwaras across New Delhi and performs seva (community service).
The Taliban, he says, has plundered Pakistan's pluralistic heritage. "But I want to tell the world it's unfair to tarnish a whole community for the sins of a few," says the Pakhtun who ran for Pakistan's National Assembly twice.
In Delhi for a conference, Khurshid, accompanied by Surinder Singh, a Delhi based businessman whose father was a comrade of Subhas Chandra Bose, has polished shoes at Gurdwara Sisganj and visited Birla Temple and Hanuman Mandir.
Khurshid told TOI that he turned to other faiths after the Taliban beheaded a Sikh, Jaspal Singh, in Peshawar in February 2010. "When I visited the house of Jaspal, I was filled with remorse." The killing weighed on his conscience. He was perturbed that violence in the name of Islam brought a bad name not only to Muslims and Pakistan but also to his people, the Pakhtuns.
The next day, he went to Gurudwara Bhai Joga Singh in Peshawar and sat on the steps. He could hear the chants wafting out of the shrine. "I felt peace," he says.The lawyer started reading about Guru Nanak and approached a member of the gurdwara management committee to allow him the opportunity for seva. After discussions, the gurdwara management committee allowed him to perform seva.
"For two months, I went to the gurdwara daily before the maghrib azaan (call to prayer at sunset) and polished shoes of devotees. "Sevadari is ibaadat (worship)," he says.
In Delhi, Khurshid also went to Jantar Mantar in the hope of meeting Anna. He sent his visiting card and waited for close to an hour but could not meet Anna. But he left the place "charmed". "It is amazing. This is democracy," he said.
On his way back to Pakistan, he will visit the Golden Temple at Amritsar for the 'Jora Ghar Seva (polishing shoes of devotees). He had written to PM Manmohan Singh last year to allow him a chance to perform seva at Amritsar. "I am yet to get a reply," he said.
He has performed similar service at Hindu temples and joined church prayers every Sunday in Pakistan. "I live in a rigid society. But the ulema have never criticized me. The Hadees says anything good must be spread all around," said Khurshid. His gesture has been appreciated by Muslims and minorities in Pakistan.
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PakistanPress is an INDEPENDENT and IMPARTIAL network of Pakistani and international journalists, bloggers and media workers. Members must abide by this code of conduct: http://pakistanpress.blogspot.com/2011/04/brainstorming-managing-email-traffic-at.html
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