Sikh leaders urge India to raise ban on pilgrims touring to Pakistan shrine

ISLAMABAD — Sikh neighborhood leaders urged New Delhi to raise a ban not too long ago imposed on pilgrims touring to Pakistan to go to the shrine of Guru Nanak, the founding father of their religion. They stated the transfer violates worldwide norms and ethical values.

The attraction got here from Mahesh Singh, vp of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the official physique that manages Sikh shrines in Pakistan, the place many holy locations of Sikhs are positioned.

His remarks adopted the Indian authorities’s Sept. 12 resolution to disclaim permission for Sikhs to cross into Pakistan for Guru Nanak’s start anniversary, citing safety considerations. There was no instant remark from New Delhi.

The resolution by India’s federal authorities to bar pilgrims from touring to Pakistan for the occasion has sparked condemnation from Sikh organizations and opposition leaders.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, a gaggle that manages Sikh locations of worship in India, stated the choice harm the non secular sentiments of the Sikh neighborhood.

Bhagwant Mann, Punjab state’s chief minister, accused the Indian central authorities of double requirements. Speaking at a press convention on Monday, he stated New Delhi had allowed a latest cricket match between the 2 nations whereas concurrently prohibiting a Sikh non secular pilgrimage

The dispute highlights broader tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals, who downgraded diplomatic ties and suspended visas after tit-for-tat missile strikes in May and an earlier lethal assault in disputed Kashmir. Though a U.S.-brokered cease-fire has held, journey between the nations stays closely restricted.

Despite the strained ties, Pakistani officers say Sikh and different non secular pilgrims from India are nonetheless welcome to go to shrines in Pakistan below present preparations. Many of Sikhism’s holiest websites ended up in Pakistan after the partition of British India in 1947.

But Pakistani officers stated they have been nonetheless making preparations to facilitate Indian pilgrims on the Kartarpur shrine, which is positioned in japanese Punjab’s not too long ago flood-hit Narowal district, about 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) from the border.

The shrine is taken into account the second-holiest web site in Sikhism.

The Kartarpur Corridor, inaugurated in 2019, created a visa-free border crossing for Sikh pilgrims from India, permitting 1000’s to go to the shrine each day. The shrine and surrounding villages have been inundated final month when heavy rains and water launched from overflowing Indian dams triggered flooding throughout Narowal, affecting greater than 100,000 folks.

At one level, water stood 20 toes (6 meters) deep contained in the shrine.

Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif ordered the water to be drained and the location restored, and the shrine reopened for worship and visits inside every week.

Pakistani official Ghulam Mohiuddin stated preparations for lodging and meals have been being finalized for Sikh pilgrims touring from India and overseas. He stated if New Delhi lifts its ban, a document variety of Indian Sikhs might go to Kartarpur this yr.

Singh stated 1000’s of Sikhs from India had hoped to participate in November’s weeklong celebration marking 556 years since Guru Nanak’s start. He stated Pakistan’s authorities has assured the committee that “the doors of Pakistan are open for Indian Sikh pilgrims,” and that visas could be granted by Pakistan’s excessive fee in New Delhi.

Another Sikh chief, Gyani Harpreet Singh, questioned the Indian authorities’s resolution on X, noting that if India and Pakistan can play cricket matches, Sikhs must also be allowed to go to Pakistan for non secular observances.

He appealed to New Delhi “not to play with the emotions of Sikhs.”

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Associated Press author Aijaz Hussain contributed to this story from Srinagar, India.