AMRITSAR: To reclaim the fading legacy of the lesser-known Bhagat Panthi sect of Sikhs, who once flourished in the Sindh province of Pakistan but are now on the brink of extinction due to relentless persecution, a faction of the Namdhari sect of Sikhs has announced their support aiming to breathe new life into the endangered sect so they can preserve their identity, rich traditions, and spiritual essence.
Thakur Dalip Singh, the chief of a faction Namdhari Sikh sects, said , "The Bhagat Panthi sect once thrived in the Sindh region of Bharat (undivided India), but today, only a handful of its members remain due to various challenges. There is an urgent need to safeguard the sect from disappearing."
Ranjeet Singh, a former Member of Parliament from Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, representing Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), informed that the Bhagat Panthi sect is also referred to as ‘Mona Sikhs’ in the region. He said that their population is now primarily concentrated in cities such as Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, and Kohat.
“There are around 150 to 200 families of Bhagat Panthis in Jogia Wala Mohalla of Dera Ismail Khan. They practice both Sikhism and Hinduism, recite Japji Sahib, and maintain the parkash of the Geeta in the Jogi Wala Temple, while also paying obeisance to Sri Guru Granth Sahib,” he added.
The majority of Bhagat Panthis are now shorn and continue to practice their traditions. They do not perform the "shradh" rituals for the deceased, and they reject the concept of untouchability. However, over time, they faced persecution, which led many of them to either convert to Islam, embrace Hinduism, or migrate to the Punjab province of Pakistan, where there is a significant Sikh population, or to India. Despite these challenges, they managed to retain certain elements of their cultural and spiritual practices.
Dalip Singh said that they held a meeting with senior members of their sect to discuss the decline of various Sikh sects, particularly those that once flourished in Pakistan. "Regarding the Bhagat Panthis, we are considering sending a delegation to Pakistan to visit areas such as Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, and Kohat, where a significant population of Bhagat Panthis once resided, but there is no trace of them left today," he said.
Extending their support to the Bhagat Panthis, Dalip Singh said that their goal is not to impose keeping hair or initiation upon them, but to ensure that the Bhagat Panth continues to thrive and follow the traditions they have upheld for generations, rather than disappearing. He said that while 'kesadhari' (with hair) Sikhs number approximately 2.5 crore worldwide, the followers of Guru Nanak (whether turbaned or not) number over 50 crore globally.
A Sikh leader from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sant Singh Kumar, said that the Bhagat Panthis celebrate both Gurpurabs as well as festivals like Holi, Diwali, and other cultural occasions, and now identify themselves as 'Mona Sikhs.'
He said that since they live in terrorist-infested areas which are in close proximity to Afghanistan, many of them embraced other religions, including Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity, for safety and survival. Kumar also praised the efforts announced by a Dalip Singh-led faction of the Namdhari sect, aimed at supporting the Bhagat Panthis and preventing their disappearance.