AMRITSAR: The restored statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, vandalised thrice since its installation in Lahore Fort and relocated to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib complex in Kartarpur, Pakistan, will be inaugurated in the neighbouring country to commemorate the 185th death anniversary of the Sikh warrior on June 26.
Nearly 450 Indian Sikh are currently in Pakistan to observe the death anniversary of Ranjit Singh who ruled Punjab in the 19th century and was the first maharaja of Sikh empire.
Lahore’s Fakir Khana Museum director Fakir Syed Saifuddin spearheaded the project to repair, rebuild, and restructure the statue that had incurred nearly 80% damage.
“It was out of love and respect for Ranjit Singh that I undertook this project. The restoration cost around Rs 27 lakh and the work spanned over a year. The statue was donated for its installation in Gurdwara Darbar Sahib complex,” Saifuddin, a fifth generation descendant of Fakir Sayed Azizudin who was chief secretary and foreign minister in Ranjit Singh’s govt said. His brothers Fakir Syed Imamudin and Fakir Syed Noorudin were acting governor, Amritsar, and governor, Lahore, respectively.
The 9-foot bronze statue was sculpted by Fakir Khana Museum in 2019. It was vandalised in 2019 and 2020 by religious groups and in 2021 by terrorist outfit Tehreek-e-Labbaik.
