Centre denies nod to send jathas to Pak for Gurpurb of Guru Nanak, Sikh bodies fume

A day after the Centre denied permission to send Sikh “jathas” to Pakistan to celebrate the Parkash Purb (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev in November citing security concerns, Sikh bodies tried to convince the government to send at least a symbolic ‘jatha’ so that the tradition doesn’t get discontinued. Sikh bodies are expressing resentment at the move of the government.

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Paramjit Singh Chandok, chief adviser of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and chairman of its yatra sub-committee, said a communique was today mailed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah requesting him to send at least a symbolic ‘jatha’ to the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev to attend the religious ceremonies, including Akhand Path. The strength of the ‘jatha’ could be reduced from 3,000 to 500 and days could be halved from 10 to five to facilitate a symbolic pilgrimage.

Otherwise, as per the 1974 accord between India and Pakistan, a 3,000-member strong ‘jatha’, comprising 1,800 devotees from SGPC, 555 from DSGMC and rest from Haryana, Chandigarh, UP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir travels to Pakistan to commemorate the occasion.

This time, the DSGMC received 150 applications, for which the last date was September 15, from interested Sikh devotees. However, on September 12, all Sikh bodies, including the SGPC, received a circular from the Ministry of Home Affairs conveying that “due to prevailing security concerns, the proposed pilgrimage to Pakistan on the auspicious occasion of the Parkash Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji is not currently permitted.”