Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi : Second time within three months, Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria has been denied entry into Gurdwara Panja Sahib.This despite Bisaria being issued an official permit from the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Islamabad to visit the holy place.
Some 300 Sikh pilgrims from India are visiting Lahore from June 21 to 30 to observe the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Gurdwara Dera Sahib.
The Sikh jattha reached Lahore on Friday via a special train from Attari organised by Pakistan Railways. The Indian High Commissioner was to meet the Sikh pilgrims from India, but was denied entry into the gurdwara by security personnel after reaching the venue.
An official response from Pakistan and Ministry Of External Affairs is awaited. But sources suggest the Pakistani side is still citing alleged hostile sentiments among sections of the visiting Sikh pilgrims from across the globe owing to release of controversial film ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’ in India.
The same argument had been used earlier in April too when Bisaria was scheduled to meet Sikh pilgrims visiting Pakistan on Baisakhi.
Subsequently, India accused Pakistan of making inflammatory statements and displaying posters at various places and shrines where the pilgrims were visiting to incite Khalistani sentiments. “Pakistan was called upon to immediately stop all such activities that were aimed at undermining India’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and incitement of disharmony in India,” said an MEA official statement in April.
Meanwhile, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjit Singh GK termed the incident as ‘unfortunate’. Pakistan’s act of stopping an Indian diplomat from paying respects at Panja Sahib was against the tenets of Sikhism and the philosophy of Guru Nanak, he said. “Nobody can be stopped from paying obeisance at a gurdwara. There are several issues of Sikhs that need resolution with Pakistan. Since it is an international issue it can only be solved at the level of the two governments,” GK said.
India lodged strong protest with Pakistan condemning the incident, and summoned Pakistan’s deputy high commissioner over the incident. Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad also lodged its protest against the incident.
