Where are the Sikhs?

The possibilities of how and where the Sikh family may have gone missing are many and the situation is very sensitive

The case of the missing Sikh family could develop into an international crisis if not handled tactfully by both India and Pakistan. A family of four, a couple and their nine-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son, from a village in Faridkot, India, has been reported missing during its visit to Pakistan for pilgrimage. Nearly 2,000 Sikh pilgrims, of whom 1,717 were from India, were in Pakistan on a 10-day visit to celebrate Baisakhi, a festival that marks the Sikh New Year as well as the birth of Sikhism. Thousands of Sikhs from across the world visit holy sites in Pakistan every year at this time while this is said to be the first time such an incident has been reported.

The state of lawlessness in our country and persecution of certain groups, among them Sikhs, may lead to immediate presumptions that this could be another incident of targeting non-Muslims or an abduction attempt. At the same time, it is also likely that the family could have overstayed their visa or breached their visa conditions without informing the relevant authorities. The paranoia that Indians have of Pakistani authorities and Pakistanis of Indian authorities is paralysing enough for people not to report to them in case they overstay their visa or travel to parts of the country that they have not been authorised to visit. The possibilities of how and where the family may have gone missing are many and the situation is very sensitive. It is, therefore, crucial for both countries, particularly the media in India and Pakistan, to put all speculations to rest and wait until investigations come through. The Baisakhi festival is one of our biggest cultural events and this instance should not in any way mar celebrations for Sikh pilgrims in years to come. The missing family must be traced as soon as possible and Indian and Pakistani authorities should combine their efforts for this objective. Irrespective of what investigations reveal, it is hoped that the incident does not worsen relations between the two countries and as opposed to further tightening of visa restrictions, authorities work to make travel easier and safer on both sides.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th,  2015.

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