https://arab.news/czxkw
- Nearly 8,000 Sikhs live in a congested neighborhood in Peshawar
- Some of them thanked their Muslim friends for helping them in their moment of grief
KARACHI: Ravinder Singh’s son was born about a year ago. Yet, he never stopped thinking about his child’s future and passionately discussed it with his friends and family.
The newborn was fortunate to survive Friday’s train crash that claimed the lives of over 20 Sikh pilgrims in Punjab, though he also lost both his parents in the same accident.
“Ravinder could barely conceal his glee when his son was born after three daughters,” Balbir Singh, who teaches at Bhai Joga Singh Khalsa Dharmic School in Peshawar, said. “He talked about him all the time and planned out his son’s future with his wife in great detail.”
“Who knew they would only get to spend a year with his child,” he continued after a little pause.
Ravinder Singh’s daughters were not traveling with him, but his two friends, Jay and Maninder Singh, also died in the accident.
The tragedy took place when a coaster carrying 26 members of Sikh community collided with a train in Punjab. Minutes before the mishap, the driver of the vehicle decided to take a shortcut and drove on a narrow path which had no traffic signals for trains.
Muhammad Ishfaq, caretaker of Peshawar’s gurdwaras, said the final rituals of the deceased were held at the cremation ground in Attock on Saturday.
“Last night, the deceased and the injured were airlifted from Lahore to Peshawar,” he told Arab News.
Jatinder Singh, whose relatives also died in the accident, thanked the authorities for helping his community after the sad incident.
“While the government and the army helped us bring back the bodies of our loved ones, our Muslim friends also stayed with us during the moment grief,” he said.
“We are a small community of around 8,000 people, but the way we were helped by Muslims made us feel that we were part of a huge family,” he added.
The act of kindness, he continued, began from the site of the accident.
“It was a devastating experience, and I find it difficult to express my pain. But our Muslim brothers refused to leave us during this catastrophe,” Jatinder Singh said.
He added that Muslim friends and colleagues of Sikh community members went to an airbase in Peshawar to receive the bodies arriving from Lahore and stayed there till 4 in the morning.
“They didn’t sleep until we brought back our loved ones,” Singh continued.