The festival, which began on Sunday, ended at 12 midnight after a prayer ceremony Irdaas. Most of the pilgrims coming from the other countries would leave for their home on Wednesday. Many would stay back in Lahore for a few more days.
The Palki was carried through other seven gurdawaras in Nankana Sahib —- Paiti Sahib, Palia Sahib, Tambu Sahib, Panjhvin Padshahi, Chehnvin Padshahi, Salji Sahib and Giyara Sahib.
On their way to the gurdawaras, the participants were showered with flowers as hundreds of residents witnessed the scene from their house rooftops. Few of the participants were on vehicles while the remaining marched on foot. Some of them walked barefoot.
The young among the participants performed bhangra (dance) and children fired crackers all their way to the gurdawaras.
Police were deployed on the procession routes to ensure security of the pilgrims. Arrangements had also been made to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
The absence of Indian Sikh pilgrims was strongly felt by all the participants from Pakistan and across the globe. Over 3,000 pilgrims from India could not attend their biggest religious ceremony due to military standoff with Pakistan.
Besides pilgrims, a large number of Hindus and Muslims also participated in the festivities.
Most of the pilgrims comprised women and children belonging to different parts of Pakistan —- Nankana Sahib, Swat, Mangora, Karachi, Kashmore, Mardan, Rawalpindi and Para Chanar. The other pilgrims had come from Afghanistan, Iran, the US, the UK and Switzerland.
The pilgrims in the gurdawara were engaged in different activities. The elderly women were preparing and serving meals to the pilgrims and the young girls surrounded the bangle stalls established by the local Sikhs.
Those who had no appetite for charity food preferred canteen’s foodstuff which was available at higher rates. Outside the gurdawara, a few make-shift food stalls were also established. The shopkeepers complained about lower turnout of pilgrims this year. They said the number of pilgrims had decreased drastically this year which had affected their business as well as of those who came from the nearby villages. According to the shopkeepers running business inside the gurdawara, the purchase of cassettes, bangles and other fancy items was high. Most of the pilgrims were interested in the purchase of Naseebo Lal and Arif Lohar’s audio cassettes.
The Tourism Development Corporation Punjab (TDCP) had also set up its stall which was surrounded by many pilgrims interested in visiting their other holy places in the Punjab.
The young pilgrims were found more enthusiastic and the festival was equally a recreational activity for them.
An intermediate student, Ameesh Kumar from Swat, said he had been attending the festival for the last three years. He said the festival was a great source of pleasure for him as all of his peers gathered here which provided them with an opportunity to have a fun together.
A Hindu girl, Kavita, who belongs to Karachi, said she came here for the first time along with his family. She said her neighbours were Sikhs who often asked them to attend the festival. Terming the festival a fun-oriented event, she said she wished to visit the place every year.
Three Sikh girls who refused to disclose their names said during the three-day festival they used to wake up by 3am. After offering prayers they started doing saiva (cleaning of gurdawara and preparing meals). After 10am they used to visit other gurdawaras and roam around the city for shopping.
The pilgrims from the US, the UK, Afghanistan and other European countries pointed out that the number of pilgrims had been decreasing for the last many years. They, however, dismissed the suggestion that the absence of the Indian pilgrims was the only reason for the low turnout this year.
Abjeet Singh, a pilgrim from London and a journalist by profession, said India’s perpetuate propaganda against Pakistan had created doubts about security here in the minds of people living abroad.
He said unless Pakistan countered this propaganda through media, the number of pilgrims and tourists would not increase.
Kaka Singh from Kabul said only 35 pilgrims came from Afghanistan this year. He said when the US and its allies attacked Kabul thousands of Sikhs migrated to India. He said before that over 1,000 pilgrims used to come to attend the festival every year.
Bar owners in New Castle, Tara Singh and Harbajand Singh, said if the government extended some help to them and the wealthier Sikhs, they would open a medical complex to facilitate the poor in Nankana Sahib.
Earlier, the Sikh leaders criticized Indian government’s decision of not allowing the pilgrims to attend their religious ceremonies during the past 11 months. Khalistan Council chairman Gurmeet Singh said that over 52,000 Sikhs were imprisoned in Indian jails and about 250,000 Sikhs had been killed since 1984. He said after the liberation of Kashmir they would set free their homeland —- Khalistan.