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SGPC jatha off, Makkar blames UPA
WSN Network 

Lahore: There has been a sharp fall in the number of Sikh pilgrims visiting Pakistan from India and other countries to observe Baisakhi festival in the wake of recent terror attacks in the country. A total of 375 Sikhs from India and over 100 from Britain, Canada and other countries arrived in Lahore to take part in the festival being held at Panja Sahib in Hasanabdal. Last year, over 4,000 Sikhs from India had attended the festival.

Incidentally, another row brewed as the 304 Sikh pilgrims were given visas through the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and other smaller Sikh bodies but more than 400 devotees who had applied visas through the SGPC were not cleared by the central government.

Thus the SGPC failed to send a jatha to Pakistan and Avtar Singh Makkar blamed the UPA govt's mischief saying it wanted to denigrate the SGPC. He said the central government wanted to promote certain “insignificant Sikh bodies”.

At Panja Sahib gurdwara, more than 200 Sikhs could not be baptised because the Five Kakaars were not available, claimed Bhai Harpal Singh Bhullar of International Bhai Mardana Yaadgari Society.

15 April 2009
 

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