The perennially frosty ties between India and Pakistan, rivals who have three times gone to war, have hit the lowest ebb during the global health crisis.
With the closure of the eastern border for the past eight months, bilateral trade, dosti or friendship buses, train services and religious pilgrimages have almost come to a standstill.
Not only that, the much-viewed joint parade by the border forces of the two countries faced an unceremonious halt as well.
At present, Pakistan-India trade through the Wagah border is suspended, but the Afghan-India transit trade through Pakistan continues.
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out earlier this year, the two countries closed their borders on March 16. The flow of passengers from Pakistan to India also virtually stopped.
The Wagah border has been closed for the past eight months, while the daily flag-lowering ceremony has been restricted in an apparent departure from its past aplomb.
Pakistan Rangers Punjab and Indian Border Security Force’s young personnel take off their national flags and salute during a short ceremony. However, people are not allowed to attend this traditional event anymore.
During this time of duress, both Islamabad and New Delhi have taken steps to repatriate their nationals.
Religious exchange
Due to the closure of the border due to the pandemic, Pakistani pilgrims have not been able to participate in the Urs celebrations of various saints in India this year.
Hundreds of pilgrims from Pakistan visit Ajmer Sharif every year in February to attend the Urs of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti, Delhi to attend the Urs of Hazrat Amir Khusro in June, and Sirhind Sharif for the Urs of Hazrat Mujaddid Alf-Sani in October.
In a similar manner, they visit Agra for the Urs of Hafiz Hazrat Abdullah Shah and Delhi in December for the event held for Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Auliya.
Similarly, Sikh pilgrims from India could not come to Pakistan to celebrate the anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the martyrdom memorial held for Guru Varjan Devji and the Vaisakhi festival.
Pakistan invites Indian pilgrims to Nankana Sahib
Pakistan has now invited Indian pilgrims to attend the 551st birthday celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, on November 30.
Indian Sikh pilgrims will be given a five-day visa for Nankana Sahib in Punjab only. About 500 Sikh pilgrims are expected to arrive from India soon.
The Kartarpur Corridor, which opened on November 9 last year, has been closed for the past eight months.
Pakistan had announced the opening of the Corridor on the anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in June this year, but India has not opened its side of the corridor.
Similarly, even after the completion of the first year of the Kartarpur Corridor, Pakistan had invited Indian pilgrims to come through it, but India has not opened the corridor citing coronavirus threat.
Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, a minority member of the Punjab Assembly and a Sikh leader, said India now deliberately wants to close the Kartarpur Corridor under the guise of the pandemic.
“It is a basic right of millions of Sikhs living in India to visit their places of worship. India is depriving them of this basic right.”
He said that Pakistan has reduced its political and diplomatic ties in response to India's move to end the special status of occupied Kashmir.
However, border closures need to be eased, MPA Arora maintained.
Similarly, visas are not being issued to pilgrims from Pakistan.
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