AMRITSAR: Reacting to the decision of the Indian government to charge entry fee from pilgrims going to Pakistan, Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, said that devotees going for darshan of Gurdwaras should be excluded from this decision.
He said that visiting Gurdwaras is the faith of every Sikh. Such a decision taken by the government will also affect Sikh devotees going for darshan of Gurdwaras.
Advocate Dhami said that according to the information received, the Indian government has decided to charge an entry fee of Rs 200 for going to Pakistan and Rs 200 for coming. He said that the desire to visit the Gurdwaras that were separated during the partition of the country is always present in the mind of every Sikh, for which the Sangat prays. Keeping in mind the feelings of the Sangat, the Shiromani Committee sends groups of Sikh pilgrims to visit the Gurdwaras located in Pakistan on the occasion of Gurpurab and historical days. It is not justified in any way to charge an entry fee from the pilgrims who go to visit the Gurdwara Sahibs.
Advocate Dhami said that the Shiromani Committee has been demanding that the Pakistan government should remove the $20 fee charged by the pilgrims visiting Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. Now, the new decision taken by the Indian government will affect the Sikh pilgrims. He appealed to the government not to implement any such decision which would hurt the faith of the Sikh pilgrims.
He also appealed to the government to immediately withdraw the latest decision.