The Sikh community has called on the Indian government to lift the ban on pilgrims traveling to Pakistan to visit Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, for the 556th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji in November.
In a statement, the Vice President of the Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (Pakistan) said that thousands of Sikh pilgrims are eager to participate in the week-long festivities.
The Government of Pakistan has assured the Committee that the Kartarpur Corridor remains open for Indian Sikh pilgrims and that visas will be issued through the High Commission in New Delhi, he added.
Earlier, India declined Pakistan’s invitation for Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Narowal district, to attend the 486th death anniversary of Sikh spiritual leader Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, scheduled for September 22.
Due to the closure of the Wagah/Attari border and the Kartarpur Corridor, no pilgrims from India were able to attend the ceremonies. However, Sikh devotees from the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and other countries planned to participate.
Pak-India Sikh pilgrimage dispute
After the escalation of tensions in April this year, both Pakistan and India closed the Wagah/Attari border and expelled each other's citizens. Later, between May 6 and May 10, the two countries engaged in a short but intense confrontation with each other.
Read: India bars Sikhs from Guru's anniversary
According to the Evacuee Trust Property Board spokesperson, Pakistan had made it clear at the time of the border closure that its doors remained open for Sikh pilgrims around the clock, and they could visit whenever they wished to.
He said Pakistan has once again extended an invitation to Indian Sikhs for Baba Guru Nanak's anniversary, but sources confirm that the Indian government has refused to issue the required no-objection certificates (NOCs) for land travel.
Expressing deep regret over the situation, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee President Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora said preventing Sikhs from visiting their holy sites was a violation of fundamental religious rights.
He stressed that no community should be deprived of the freedom to perform its religious rituals and announced that he would share further details with the media in an upcoming press conference
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