TAXILA: After India stopped hundreds of Sikh pilgrims from visiting Pakistan, only 16 pilgrims arrived at the Gurdwara Punja Sahib in Hassanabdal to offer religious rituals in connection with the Shaheedi Jor Mela of Guru Arjin Dev Ji on Friday.

Under a protocol signed by Pakistan and India, 300 Sikh pilgrims were scheduled to visit Pakistan to attend the 411th death anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth of the 11 Sikh gurus.

According to Sikhism, the event is also called Shaheedi Jor Mela or Shaheedi Purab of Guru Arjan Dev Ji.

It is the first time since the Kargil conflict of 1999 that such a low number of Sikh pilgrims are visiting Hassanabdal to offer religious rituals.

The Sikh pilgrims arrived here by road from Wagah as the railway authorities cancelled a special train service in the wake of the far-less number of Yatrees.

Soon after their arrival here, the pilgrims offered their religious rites, including Matha Taek (bowing) and Ashnan (holy bath).

Later, they also visited the shrine of Baba Wali Kandhari located on a nearby hilltop. According to the Sikh history, Guru Arjun Dev Ji was born on April 15, 1563, at Goindwal, a small town on the bank of River Beas in the district of Amritsar.

He was the fifth guru and died on May 30, 1606, during the era of Emperor Jahangir.

All his life he preached love towards humanity, equality, respect for all religions and equal treatment of all mankind. During his rule, Guru Arjun compiled the Guru Granth Sahib in 1604.

Talking to newsmen at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib, the Sikh pilgrims protested against the decision of the Indian authorities to stop around 82 pilgrims from visiting Pakistan to offer their religious rituals.

Meanwhile, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Fakhar Sultan Raja along with District Police Officer (DPO) Zahid Nawaz Marwat visited the Gurdwara and reviewed security arrangements.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2017