Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh demanded passport-free access to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur during an ardas (Sikh prayer) for the victims of 1947 partition at zero point on the International border here on Sunday.
The jathedar, while interacting with the media persons, after the event, demanded an end to the condition of carrying an Indian passport for the pilgrimage and sought similar access for Pakistani Sikhs to visit the historic gurdwara at Dera Baba Nanak falling in Gurdaspur district.
The Kartarpur corridor provides visa-free access for Indian pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Guru Nanak, in Pakistan.
This has been a long-pending demand of the Sikh community ever since the trans-border corridor was opened in 2019, the jathedar said.
Others present on the occasion include AAP MLA Sarwan Singh Dhun, former MLA of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Gurpartap Singh Wadala, SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal and other Sikh activists. On August 16, a similar ardas was also held at Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat, by the SGPC, for the second consecutive year.