Pakistan’s Sikh community is all set to mark the 481st death anniversary of the founder of faith, Baba Guru Nanak.
According to details, the community plans to mark the occasion between September 20 to 22. Known as Joti Jot, or the death anniversary of the Guru Nanak, this year’s event will be marked without Sikh groups from India, who do not have the permission to travel to the final resting place of the founder of Sikhism, which is situated in Pakistan.
The Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free border crossing, that allows members of the Sikh community to enter Pakistan and travel back to India, was closed shortly after the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Indian government has not allowed any pilgrims to travel since then.
Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) a Sikh religious organization, has urged the government of India to allow the followers of Guru Nanak to attend the important event later this month.
“The administration at Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib has requested the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC in India, to send groups to Pakistan for the grand anniversary celebrations,” said PSGPC Chairman Sardar Satowant Singh.
The community plans to carry the Nagar Kirtan, a Sikh custom involving the processional singing of holy hymns from Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib to Zero-line.
“We will visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib after the anniversary celebrations on September 22,” he said, adding that Nagar Kirtan will be carried up to the Pak-India Zero Line beginning at Kartarpur Corridor.
The community leader rejected reports circulated by Indian authorities about the state of Gurdwara Nankana Sahib’s structure. “India is spreading rumors that the structure has been altered. That is not true,” said Singh. Such reports, he said, are part of the anti-Pakistan propaganda used by the Narendra Modi government in New Delhi to score points and gain the support of Hindutva elements. He rejected reports that said parts of the sacred site had been demolished.
Instead, he said, Gurdwaras all over the country are being expanded and restored. “The premises of many Gurdwaras are being expanded and new facilities are being added.”
While old structures, Singh said, were being restored, no building or its part has been demolished.
Sardar Satowant Singh pointed out that the world has witnessed the expansion of Kartarpur Sahib by the government in Pakistan. He said the administration has turned the final resting place of the fonder of Sikhism into the largest Gurdwara in the world.
He said even while the new building was constructed, the old part was preserved and restored. He claimed that all important Gurdwaras have been restored and more facilities are expected for the community.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2020.
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