The Rangers officials first tried to stop the bus and wagon carrying the journalists outside the check-post limits. Both the vehicles, however, entered the check-post limits and reached the parking area. Reporters and photographers alighted from the vehicles but were prevented from proceeding towards the border and were told to leave the check-post area.
A Rangers official carrying a wireless set told the mediamen that their captain had ordered them not to allow the mediamen in the area. When the reporters and photographers asked him to let them talk to the captain, he told them that he did not want to talk to them either and wanted them to leave immediately. He said that the mediamen would be forced to leave in case they did not leave on their own.
It transpired later on that the Rangers Captain had taken exception to the objection raised by a senior reporter over the permission given to a private television channel team to cover the arrival of the Sikh pilgrims and ordered that all other mediamen should be kept away from the border. The senior reporter had reached the border before the rest of the mediamen and found the reporter and photographer of the television channel busy in making arrangements for coverage.
100 Indian Sikhs: A batch of 100 Indian Sikh pilgrims crossed over into Pakistan from the Wagah Border here on Friday afternoon for participation in the two-day Baisakhi Festival beginning at Hassan Abdal from Sunday.
Pakistan Gurdawara Parbandhak Committee members and Evacuee Trust Property Board officials received the pilgrims at the Wagah Border. The government had issued 150 visas for participation in the Baisakhi celebrations but only 100 Sikhs arrived here on Friday. Some more can come on Saturday as well.
Most of the pilgrims proceeded to the Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh adjacent to the Badshahi Mosque for overnight stay before proceeding to Panja Sahib, Hassan Abdal on Saturday (today). Some of them lodged themselves in hotels.
A batch of over 30 Sikh pilgrims arrived here on Wednesday for participation in the Baisakhi Festival.