Centre’s decision on Sikh pilgrims’ visit to Pak welcomed

In a recent meeting of the Folklore Research Academy, Amritsar, Pragatisheel Lekhak Manch and Majha Virasat Trust, the members including artists, writers and scholars, expressed gratitude to the Central Government for allowing Sikh pilgrims to visit Pakistan to pay obeisance at the holy Sikh Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib and other gurdwaras to mark the birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru.

In the meeting held jointly, the president of the Akademi, Ramesh Yadav, said that relations between India and Pakistan were at a low in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. "The movement of people, trade and business from both the sides was completely stopped. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has decided to send devotees to pay obeisance at Sri Nankana Sahib and other gurdwaras across the Attari-Wagah border to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. We also demanded from the Central Government to open the corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to Sri Kartarpur Sahib in view of the faith of the devotees, who have been eagerly waiting for the darshan of Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib, the final resting place of Sri Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan for a long time," he said.

Yadav reiterated that just as the devotees have been allowed to visit other gurdwaras, including Sri Nankana Sahib (Pakistan), Hindu pilgrims from Pakistan should also be allowed to visit Katasraj.

The Folklore Research Academy and its related organisations annually host the Hind-Pak Dosti Manch in August to bat for free people-to-people exchange between the two nations despite political hostilities.