Invitations to attend Sikh religion founder Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 551st birth anniversary, have been issued to Indian Sikh Sangats in advance of the ceremony.
Indian pilgrims will be offered a five-day visa to enter the country upon proof of a mandatory negative Covid-19 test.
The three-day celebration known as Guru Nanak Gurpurab, will begin on November 27 at Nankana Sahib, while celebrations will continue till the month’s end.
Furthermore, Abandoned Waqf Property Board and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee have also sent regular invitations and itineraries to various other Sikh societies including the Shiromani Committee of India, to be party to the festivities of Guru Nanak Gurpurab.
As per festival itinerary, however, the Sikh pilgrims from India will only be allowed to stay in the country for limited period of time, with no extensions, in view of the global pandemic. The special five-day Nankana Sahib Visa will effectively expire on the second of December.
“All pilgrims coming to partake in the festivities of Baba Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary will required to observe and abide by all Covid-19 SOPs throughout their stay, even after showing the mandatory negative Covid-19 test,” informed an official of the Abandoned Waqf Property Board.
According to Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee Head Sardar Satwant Singh, the schedule of their stay in Pakistan had to be revised in consideration of closed borders and the rising coronavirus tally in India. “There will be no new restrictions placed on the number of Indian Sikh pilgrims making the journey.
As per the Pak-India bilateral agreement, 3,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims will be allowed entry into the Islamic Republic for Gurpurab celebrations.”
However, this time around, visitors will only have the option of the Nankana Sahib Visa, unlike last year when Indian pilgrims had the option of a 10-day visa to visit multiple gurdwaras in Lahore, Nankana Sahib, Hassan Abdal, Kartarpur, Rohri Sahib and Farooqbad. For the first time, Sikh pilgrims visiting the country will also not have the option to stay or shop in Lahore and be required to exit the country upon conclusion of religious festivities.
According to Sawant Singh, Indian pilgrims will be welcomed at the Wagah Border on 27 November, from where they will shuttled to Nankana Sahib through a special bus service. “The pilgrims will have access to various gurdwaras in Nankana Sahib and also participate in the Nagar Kirtan custom.
At the end of which, they will be shuttled back to Wagha Border on 1st December, to head back to India,” shared Singh.
On the other hand, it is reported that certain Sikh societies, including the Shiromani Committee of India, have requested the Indian government to open the Kartarpura Corridor on event of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 551st birth anniversary.
Where the Pakistan government has shown its willingness to promote religious tourism in the country, there has so far been no positive response from the Republic of India on the matter.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2020.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ