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Allow Sikh jathas to Nankana Sahib: Punjab Congress
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and leader of Opposition in state assembly Partap Bajwa write to PM, say denial hurts Sikh sentiments and violates age-old tradition
Punjab Congress leaders have sought a review of the Centre’s advisory to various states, including Punjab, to not process applications of Sikh ‘jathas’ for pilgrimage to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on the occasion of Parkash Purab, birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, in November this year.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union home minister Amit Shah to respect Sikh sentiments and allow them to visit the shrine in Pakistan.
“The decision conveyed by the Centre to Punjab and other states on September 12, asking them not to process applications for the pilgrimage to Nankana Sahib seems to have been taken without taking into consideration the sentiments of the stakeholders,” Warring said.
“I doubt whether those responsible for taking such a decision understand the sensitivities and overall situation”, he said, while adding that Nanakana Saheb is among the holiest places for Sikhs where our first Guru was born, how can anyone deny us permission to go there?”
Leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, also wrote to the PM urging him to reconsider the Centre’s decision on the matter. “While we understand the need to prioritise national security, it is disheartening to note that age-old traditions, faith, and spiritual practices of lakhs of Sikhs are repeatedly sacrificed in the name of hostility between the two governments. The ‘jathas’ (group of pilgrims) to Nankana Sahib is not just a journey across borders, it is an unbroken centuries-old tradition that binds the Sikh community worldwide with their spiritual roots,” wrote Bajwa. “Therefore, I urge you to reconsider this decision and ensure that Sikh pilgrims are allowed safe passage to Nankana Sahib. Preserving this sacred tradition is not just about religion, it is about respect for faith, heritage, and the rights of our people,” he added.
Pak Sikh leaders urge India to allow pilgrims for Guru Nanak’s death anniversary event at Kartarpur Sahib
Lahore: Pakistani Sikh leaders and the Evacuee Trust Property Board on Wednesday urged the Indian government to allow Sikh pilgrims to participate in the commemorative event marking Guru Nanak Dev’s death anniversary at Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on September 22. Following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, India has closed the Attari-Wagah border.
Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, president of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and a minister in the Punjab government, also urged that Sikh devotees be permitted to travel for the event.
The Pakistani government opened the Kartarpur Corridor in November 2019, which is around 4.1 kilometres from the Pakistan-India border.
The corridor links Pakistan’s Darbar Sahib, where the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, lived and died at the start of the 16th century, to the Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district. The 4 km-long corridor provides visa-free access to Indian pilgrims to visit Darbar Sahib.
With inputs from PTI
