October 20, 2006	Friday	Ramazan 26, 1427

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LAHORE, Oct 19: The Indian authorities may not allow the agreed number of Sikh pilgrims to travel to Pakistan to attend a festival in connection with the 537th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak scheduled for Nov 5 at Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib, the birth place of the founder of Sikh religion, it is learnt.

Official sources say that the Indian government mood after the Mumbai train blasts indicates that it may not permit around 5,000 Sikhs to visit Pakistan. Last year some 4,500 or so Indian pilgrims were allowed to visit their holy places and participate in Baba Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary.

They said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had last year endorsed issuance of up to 10,000 visas annually to Indian Sikhs on this occasion. However, they said according to the new developments the Indian government was in no mood to allow such a large number of Sikhs to visit their holy places in Pakistan. “Actually the Indian government is also worried about the growing Sikh-Muslim affinity,” they maintain.

The Evacuee Trust Property Board, which is responsible for the upkeep of gurdwaras and temples in Pakistan, has reportedly made arrangements for at least 15,000 pilgrims.

An ETPB official told this reporter that the three-day festivities would begin on Nov 3 in Nankana Sahib. He said that some 4,000 Sikhs were expected from European countries, USA, Canada, Middle East and Afghanistan. A good number of local Sikhs and Hindus would also attend the festival.

The Sikh pilgrims would bring out the palki (with granth sahib) on Nov 5 to mark the end of the festival. The palki would also be carried through other seven adjacent gurdwaras — paiti sahib, palia sahib, tambu sahib, panjhvin padshahi, chehnvin padshahi, salji sahib and giyara sahib.

The pilgrims would visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hasan Abdal, Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Lahore and Gurdwara Rohri Sahib, Aimanabad between Nov 6 and 10. They will leave for their home on Nov 11.

The ETPB official said that the Pakistan Gurdwara Parbhandhik committee would supervise the security arrangements in this respect. He said no vehicle would be allowed parking on the premises of the gurdwara and security scanners would also be placed there. Police would escort the pilgrims, especially Sikhs from abroad, on their way to the gurdwaras.

He said that new residential blocks in Gurdwara Janam Asthan had been established to provide accommodation to maximum number of pilgrims.