JOIN USCommunication gap leaves Sikh pilgrims in lurch
Around 200 Indian Sikh pilgrims had to cross into Pakistan on foot via Wagah border on Saturday after a communication gap between the two nations prevented them from travelling by train, officials said.
Pakistani officials said about 500 Indian pilgrims were unable to travel by train on Friday after the Indian authorities did not allow them to board a Pakistan Railways’ train.However, the Indian officials clarified that the confusion occurred due to a “communication gap.” The pilgrims were subsequently given permission to cross the border on foot, they said.
The Indian Sikhs, during their nine-day stay in Pakistan, will participate in the ‘Jore Mela’, which is held every year at Gurdwara Dera Shahib in Lahore to mark the martyrdom of Guru Arjun Dev.
Fraz Abbas, Deputy Director of the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) which is responsible for maintaining shrines of minority communities, said this was the first time such an incident had happened.
He said that according to the annual calendar, Sikhs in India had been issued visas to take part in Jore Mela. “The Indian authorities did not tell us about not allowing the ‘yatris’ to board the Pakistani train,” he said. Kirak Singh, who arrived from Amritsar, said the pilgrims waited at the Attari and Amritsar railway stations for several hours on Friday to catch the train to Lahore. “At 5 pm, we were told to go home and to travel to Lahore on Saturday,” he added.
He said the pilgrims protested at Attari and Amritsar railway stations. “The Sikhs urged the governments of India and Pakistan to make “hassle-free arrangements” for pilgrims,” he added.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, a representative body of Indian Sikhs, had reportedly made some amendments in the annual calendar of events in Pakistan but did not inform the Pak authorities.
“We follow the Nanak Shahi calendar of the Sikh community, which is recognised by the two countries. Under this calendar and the bilateral protocol, we had informed the Indian government about arrangements and the arrival of Sikh yatris. We also informed the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to issue visas to those intending to participate in Jore Mela,” an ETPB official said. The ETPB has made arrangements like free food, security, transport and lodging for the pilgrims.
Under an agreement signed by India and Pakistan in 1955, a total of 1,000 Sikh pilgrims can visit Pakistan to attend Jore Mela every year.