LAHORE: Special trains brought Sikh pilgrims to Nankana Sahib from Hasan Abdal for the Vaisakhi (also known as Baisakhi) Festival.
District Police Officer, Deputy Commissioner Nankana Sahib, Malik Abdul Waheed, and officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) welcomed the pilgrims at Nankana Sahib’s railway station.
The pilgrims were then taken to Gurdwara Janam Asthan in buses and under supervision of strict security.
Controversy initially surrounded the arrival of the pilgrims when India’s Ministry of External Affairs released a press statement claiming that India’s high commissioner in Pakistan had been prevented from meeting the pilgrims at a gurdwara in Hasan Abdal.
In response, the Pakistani foreign office’s spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal claimed that the ETPB had invited the Indian high commissioner to attend the main event of the festival at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal.
However, just before the event, Sikh pilgrims in India had protested the release of a film on Baba Guru Nanak Devji.
To avoid any controversy, therefore, the ETPB reached out to the Indian High Commission to suggest that the High Commissioner’s visit be cancelled. Officials in the Indian High Commission agreed to EPTB’s proposal.
Despite this, Indian officials lodged a protest over the incident in the Foreign Office in Islamabad and the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi.
The Pakistani Foreign Office regretted this move, and released a statement, claiming,
“For decades, Pakistan has made excellent arrangements to facilitate the visits of Sikh Yatrees from across the world, including India, and has extended protocol, reception, security, medical and other facilities. This is consistent with our religious ethos and traditions of hospitality.”