India stops 1,000 Sikh pilgrims from visiting Pakistan

LAHORE: India has barred over one thousand Sikh pilgrims from visiting their holy places in Pakistan.

The Sikh pilgrims were scheduled to take part in the upcoming Saka festival at Gurdwara Janamasthan at Nankana Sahib on Sunday, for which all necessary arrangements had been finalised. Pardhan [chief] of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee Sardar Satwant Singh, along with other members of the Sikh community, staged a protest demonstration against the Indian government in Lahore on Thursday for not allowing the pilgrims to visit Pakistan. Condemning the Indian authorities' attitude, Satwant Singh said the Pakistan government had made all arrangements including accommodation, medical, etc, to facilitate the participants in the Saka festival. He said that all minority communities were enjoying equal rights in Pakistan and “we are proud to be citizens of Pakistan”, while Narendra Modi led government was committing worst atrocities in India. He said Pakistan opened Kartarpur Corridor to facilitate the Sikh pilgrims but India was not allowing any one to visit Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of India cited security and coronavirus situation in Pakistan for stopping 600 yatrees.