Declare Amritsar no-war zone, Congress MPs write to PM Modi

Congress Lok Sabha MPs Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding that Amritsar be declared a “no-war zone”.

The MPs said efforts should be made to ensure that the United Nations also recognise the status, extending protection from any military attack on the city in future.

The demand has been raised days after a senior Army officer said Pakistan had attacked the Golden Temple with drones during the last month’s border hostilities but the attacks were neutralised by the Indian armed forces.

The border tensions had flared up following the Operation Sindoor, carried out by the Indian armed forces in retaliation tothe Pahalgam terror attack.

Both leaders wrote two separate letters over the issue, with Randhawa writing on June 2 and Aujla on Tuesday.

“The Golden Temple is a symbol of world peace and its security is the shared responsibility of India and the international community,” said Aujla, who is also the Amritsar MP.

Aujla said the Golden Temple was the holiest place of Sikhism due to which millions of devotees visit it.

He demanded permanent and non-political security arrangements for the Golden Temple like Vatican City.

In his letter, Randhawa said the recent geopolitical tensions, particularly the India-Pakistan standoff had “revived the legitimate concerns regarding Amritsar’s vulnerability”.

The Gurdaspur MP said for the Sikhs, the Golden Temple held same importance as Mecca for Muslims and Vatican City for Christians.

Reportedly, a similar demand has been raised by Sikh bodies in Pakistan. They have demanded that Nankana Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak, be declared a “no-war zone”.