Pakistani officials allegedly stop Hindu pilgrim from joining Sikh jatha for Guru Nanak birth anniversary

“Pakistani officials told us you are Hindu, you cannot go with a Sikh jatha,” said Amar Chand, who was sent back along with six family members after crossing over to Pakistan to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.

A jatha (group) of nearly 1,900 Sikh pilgrims had crossed the Attari-Wagah border on Tuesday to take part in the Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev. Chand said he was among those pilgrims.

He claimed that his family wanted to offer prayers at gurdwaras in Pakistan on the occasion of Parkash Purb of the Sikhism founder. “They sent us back because I was a Hindu,” he said.

According to Chand, he and his family completed all formalities after crossing the Attari-Wagah land route. “We were asked to board a special bus for pilgrims. We spent ₹95,000 (Pakistani currency) on bus tickets for all seven members,” he told PTI.

He alleged that five Pakistani officials then arrived and asked them to disembark. “The Pakistani officials told us you are Hindu, you cannot go with a Sikh jatha,” said Chand. “Then they sent us back,” he added, saying Indian officials questioned their Pakistani counterparts about the reason for the decision.

Chand, who was earlier a Pakistani national and came to India in 1999 before obtaining Indian citizenship in 2010, said the amount spent on bus tickets was not refunded.

A resident of Delhi, Chand also claimed that seven other Indians from Lucknow were similarly turned back.

Meanwhile, the jatha, which is visiting Pakistan from November 4 to November 13, will visit Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Sacha Sauda, and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur.

Earlier, the Centre had refused permission for Sikh pilgrims to travel to Pakistan for the Parkash Purb citing the security situation. Later, the Union government allowed a Sikh jatha to visit the gurdwaras in Pakistan.