AMRITSAR: The Indian government has refused to give permission to the Jatha going to visit various shrines including Gurdwara Janam Asthan Sri Nankana Sahib to celebrate the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Sahib.
Every year, a jatha of Sikh pilgrims from India go to Pakistan to visit the abandoned shrines. This time, the Indian government has cited the security of the pilgrims and in a letter issued by the National Home Department, it has been said that in view of the tension between the two countries and the security of the pilgrims, this time permission cannot be given to visit the birthplace of Sri Guru Nanak Sahib Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Janam Asthan Sri Guru Ramdas Ji Chuna Mandi Lahore, Gurdwara Shaheedi Asthan Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib Hassan Abdal Rawalpindi, Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib Kartarpur Sahib Narowal, Gurdwara Sacha Sauda Churkana and Gurdwara Rori Sahib Farrukhabad.
There is a huge protest among the devotees against this decision of the Indian government. There is a discussion among the devotees that if the cricket teams of both the countries can play matches together in Dubai on one platform, then why are they being prevented from visiting the Gurdwaras?
It is worth mentioning that every year, Sikh pilgrims are sent to Pakistan by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Nankana Sahib Sikh Yatri Jatha, Khalra Mission Committee, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Haryana Committee, and many other Sikh organizations to visit the separated Gurdwaras with visas.