E-Paper
Akal Takht jathedar may attend Joti Jot in Pakistan
The event is to be held from September 20-22; the Pakistan Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) are the organisers and they have invited the jathedar
Amritsar Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh may attend the Joti Jot (immersion in eternal light) gurpurb of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak being observed at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan from September 20-22. The Pakistan Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) are the organisers.
On Monday, they held a meeting in Lahore to review preparation at the last resting place of Guru Nanak.
PSGPC chief Satwant Singh said, “We know that sangat from other countries will not be able to attend this gurpurb due to global Covid-19 restrictions. Indian devotees, however, can do so through the corridor. We request the Indian government to allow devotees to attend the gurpurb through this corridor and reopen it from their side.”
He added that Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur had a role to play in ensuring that this happens. “On our request, Giani Harpreet Singh is attending the gurpurb,” he added.
“I have received an invitation from the PSGPC and the Pakistan government may grant me visa. It remains to be seen, however, if the Centre allows me to cross-over to Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border. There are still restrictions on the international border.”
The corridor was opened by India and Pakistan on November 9, 2019 to provide Indian devotees visa-free access to the historic Sikh shrine, which is just 4km from the international border. “It remained operational for four months before the governments of both the countries closed it in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
