The SIJ community has asked the Indian government to raise the prohibition of pilgrims traveling to Pakistan to visit Sahib, Kartarpur, for the celebrations of the 556th anniversary of the birth of the Baba Nanak dev JI Guru in November.
In a statement, the vice president of the Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak (Pakistan) committee said that thousands of sij pilgrims are eager to participate in the one week festivities.
The Pakistan government has assured the committee that the Kartarpur corridor remains open for Sij Indian pilgrims and that the visas will be issued through the high commission in New Delhi, he added.
Previously, India rejected Pakistan’s invitation for pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, District of Narkowal, to attend the 486th anniversary of the death of the spiritual leader Sij, Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, scheduled for September 22.
Due to the closing of the Wagah/Attari border and the Kartarpur corridor, no pilgrim from India was able to attend ceremonies. However, the United States SIJ devotees, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries planned to participate.
Discussion
After the climbing of the tensions in April of this year, both Pakistan and India closed the Wagah/Attari border and the citizens of the other were expelled. Later, between May 6 and 10, the two countries dedicated themselves to a short but intense confrontation.
Read: India Sikhs bars of the anniversary of Guru
According to the spokesman of the Evacuee Trust Board, Pakistan had made clear at the time of the closing of the border that its doors remained open for the SIJ pilgrims throughout the day, and could visit every time they wanted.
He said that Pakistan has once again extended an invitation to the Indian SIJS for the anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, but the sources confirm that the Indian government has refused to issue the non -objection certificates (NO) required for land trips.
Expressing a deep regret for the situation, the president of the Parbandhak Committee of Pakistan, Sikh Gurdwara, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, said that preventing the SIJs from visiting their sacred sites was a violation of fundamental religious rights.
He stressed that no community should be deprived of the freedom to make their religious rituals and announced that he would share more details with the media at a next press conference.
