Fallen heroes: Pakistan to welcome pilgrims for Saka Nankana Sahib centenary

The Sikh community is all set to observe the Saka Nankana Sahib event from February 19 to 21, for which Pakistan has decided to issue visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to attend the religious ceremony across the border. The three-day event will be attended by thousands of Sikh pilgrims from different countries, including India. This will be the first time that Pakistan will issue visas to Indian Sikhs to attend Saka Nankana Sahib event. Secretary General Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Sardar Amir Singh, said that the 100th anniversary of Saka Nankana Sahib massacre would begin on February 19, while the main function would be held on February 21. Head of Shiromani Gurdwara Committee, Jagjir Kaur, has revealed that around 5,000 Sikh pilgrims are expected to arrive in Pakistan for the event. She said that the other Sikh societies, including the Shiromani Committee of India, have announced to send pilgrims to Pakistan in February. According to Sardar Amir Singh, the pilgrims will also arrive from Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, America and other countries. “We are trying to get more pilgrims from India to Pakistan,” he shared. Pilgrims, wishing to attend the event from any country that has banned flights due to the virus, might not be able to arrive in Pakistan. Head of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Sardar Satwant Singh spoke to The Express Tribune and shed light on the historical event that claimed the lives of hundreds of Sikhs. “In 1921, the British government had handed over the management of various Gurdwaras, including Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib and many other Sikh holy places, to Hindu Mahants.” Recalling the beginning of the massacre on February 20, 1921, Singh narrated that Jathedar Lachhman Singh and his 250 soldiers arrived at the Gurudwara to demand the release of Nankana Sahib. In the bloodshed that ensured, Lachhman Singh was hanged upside down from a tree inside the Gurudwara Janam Asthan and burnt by Hindu Mahant Narain Das and his armed hooligans, said Singh. “By sacrificing their lives, Sikh warriors succeeded in recapturing the birthplace or the Gurudwara from the Hindu Mahants. A ceremony is held every year to commemorate this sacrifice of Sikhs. A century has passed since this tragedy.” Sardar Satwant Singh explained that the Jand tree at Gurdwara Janam Asthan has been preserved to commemorate the martyrs. The Abandoned Waqf Property Board has preserved the memorial of Sikh martyrs within marble walls, where pilgrims light candles to pay homage. On the other hand, India has not yet given any green signal regarding the issuance of visas to Pakistani pilgrims. Every year, thousands of pilgrims from Pakistan go to India to attend the annual celebrations of renowned Sufi saints. However, in 2020, Pakistanis could not visit India. According to a spokesman for the federal Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, the schedule for the Urs celebrations in India has not been issued so far and no applications have been invited from visitors. “If India allows Pakistan to send visitors, the ministry will call for visa applications,” he informed. Meanwhile, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s shrine custodian in New Delhi, Nazim Ali Nizami, said that the shrines of Sufi saints are the centers of love and peace, but there are some elements that spoil the relations. “On this new year, I pray to Allah Almighty to end the epidemic like coronavirus and open these doors to pilgrims.” Surinder Khochar, a senior journalist from Amritsar who has a keen eye on Pakistan-India relations and religious tourism, said that Indian Sikh organisations have also demanded the Indian government should reopen the Kartarpur Corridor, which has been closed for the past 10 months. “The pilgrims will abide by whatever SOPs are put in place by the two governments,” the journalist opined.

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