Jatha of 2,500 Sikh pilgrims crosses over to Pakistan to be part of celebrations at Nankana Sahib

AMRITSAR: A jatha (group) of 2,500 Sikh pilgrims went to Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border to be part of the 550th parkash purb (birth anniversary) celebrations

AMRITSAR: A jatha (group) of 2,500 Sikh pilgrims went to Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border to be part of the 550th parkash purb (birth anniversary) celebrations of Guru Nanak at his birthplace, Nankana Sahib.

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Of the 2,500 pilgrims, 1,303 were sent by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the visit was flagged off by SGPC chief secretary Roop Singh from Teja Singh Samundari Hall. SGPC members Gurmeet Singh Booh and Baba Charanjit Singh Jassowal are leading the jatha.

Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary is on November 12 and is being celebrated at Nankana Sahib on a large scale. The jatha will also pay obeisence at other shrines, including Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, the last resting place of Sikhism’s founder, before it returns on November 13.

The corridor will be opened to pilgrims on November 9.

“It is a rare opportunity for us to visit Nankana Sahib on the 550th parkash purb of Guru Nanak. We are blessed,” said an upbeat pilgrim, Sarchand Singh, while other members raised religious slogans.

Earlier, the jatha of pilgrims would take the special train to Pakistan from Attari but this time it left on foot as Pakistan has suspended train and bus services to India after the Centre revoked the special status to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5.

Around 1,200 devotees crossed over to Pakistan on October 31 with the nagar kirtan from Gurdwara Nanak Piao Sahib, Delhi, to Nankana Sahib.