Govt cancels Baisakhi celebrations at Punja Sahib

High Commission in New Delhi directed not to issue visas to Sikh pilgrims, convey decision to Indian govt

ATTOCK: Given the lockdown imposed across the country due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the government has decided to cancel the annual Baisakhi celebrations in the country, scheduled to commence in Hassanabdal on April 14.

Thousands of Sikhs, including 3,000 from India and 2,000 from elsewhere around the world, were expected to participate in the annual event.

The decision to cancel the annual event was unanimously taken in a meeting of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbadhank Committee (PSGPC).

“We unanimously decided that there will be no Baisakhi celebrations at the Gurdwara Punja Sahib in Hassanabdal this year and the scheduled visit of Sikh pilgrims have been cancelled,” said ETPB Deputy Secretary Shrines Imran Gondal.

Baisakhi is a Sikh baptism ceremony also known as the spring harvest festival, which marks the Sikh new year.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has already been informed of the decision, Gondal said, adding that the Foreign Office has been asked for onward communication of the decision to the Indian government that the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi will not issue visas to pilgrims this year.

“We have monitored the situation closely in recent days and worked with government departments including the PSGPC and other stakeholders. We are committed to following the guidelines set by the federal government to ensure a safe environment for our Sikh pilgrim guests and we would not risk their health amid the global coronavirus outbreak,” Gondal said.

To a question, he said Pakistan had given all Sikh representative bodies the green light for the festival back in November 2019, before the virus emerged.

Pakistan was due to issue 3,000 visas to Indian pilgrims who wanted to participate in the Baisakhi festival in Hassanabdal, as well as visas for pilgrims from other parts of the world.

The ETPB had also issued a schedule for Indian pilgrims, which was shared with the Indian government.

Moreover, security, boarding and lodging arrangements had been finalised at all the temples the pilgrims were expected to visit.

PSGPC General Secretary Sardar Ameer Singh, a leading organiser, said the decision was made to prevent risks to public health and safety.

Deciding to cancel the event was not easy, he said, as the Sikh community around the world has a great emotional, religious and cultural attachment with the event.

He added that instead of the mass gatherings and elaborate celebrations, only symbolic Baisakhi celebrations will be observed at Gurdwara Punja Sahib this year.

Singh further said he has also released a video message for all Pakistani and foreign Sikh bodies in which he said that there will be no Baisakhi celebrations due to Covid-19.

Moreover, the high priests of Akal Takht - the highest religious authority in the Sikh faith - have already announced that Baisakhi celebrations around the world will be smaller in scale due to the pandemic.

Tens of thousands of Sikhs typically participate in Baisakhi celebrations every year. In 2019, more than 15,000 pilgrims visited the Gurdwaras in Hassanabdal.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2020.