In dark times, it is heartening to note that the travel of Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan for the Baisakhi festival has not been affected by the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India, especially amidst the recent war of words on the increasingly acrimonious espionage tensions between the two countries. Despite everything, some 1,500 Sikh pilgrims have arrived in Pakistan on a 10-day visit to celebrate the Baisakhi festival.
Every year, hundreds of Sikh pilgrims visit their holy places in Pakistan, including Nankana Sahib and the Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal, where the festival of Baisakhi is celebrated. When we are faced with the strategic and political realities of the unfortunate hostility between the two countries, we are forced to conclude that it is only this people-to-people contact that can soften the situation and break down the barriers. Like their Sikh counterparts from India, many devotees from Pakistan visit the shrines of Sufi saints in India every year – mainly Nizamuddin Auliya at Ajmer Sharif.
But should such exchanges be promoted only for purposes of alleviating tensions in a time of confrontation? Definitely not.
In of themselves, such visits from the citizens of the two countries also provide tremendous economic potential. The benefits of religious tourism are certainly something that Pakistan can profit from. Being home to some of the holiest for both, Sikhs and Hindus, Pakistan can devise a strategy to boost religious tourism in line with how Saudi Arabia has done through the millions of pilgrims visiting its territory every year.
Any improvements in the facilities at the holy sites located in Pakistan, as well as a softer visa policy for such visitors, will mean that Pakistan can make use of the untapped potential of religious tourism. Besides the example of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia has also taken steps in recent times to promote religious tourism by promoting the architectural structures – mainly mosques – across the country.
In this context, another important consideration to bear in mind is that Sikhs and Hindus do not visit from India only: a significant number of pilgrims come from the US, the UK, Canada, Europe, Australia and other countries. According to the Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), Siddiqul Farooq, approximately 25-30,000 Sikh pilgrims from around the world are expected to participate in this year’s Baisakhi festival alone.
An improved security mechanism like the one devised for visiting Sikh pilgrims can be arranged and let us remember that any improvement in facilities for these holy sites will represent something far more valuable than the significant revenues mentioned above: they will also be a gesture of goodwill towards Sikh and Hindu communities in India and around the world. *