{"id":37046,"date":"2025-09-19T09:20:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T03:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/?p=37046"},"modified":"2025-09-19T09:25:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T03:55:18","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a9-why-it-is-right-to-bar-sikh-pilgrim-jathas-to-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/?p=37046","title":{"rendered":"???? Why It Is Right to Bar Sikh Pilgrim Jathas to Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

???? <\/em><\/strong>Why It Is Right to Bar Sikh Pilgrim Jathas to Pakistan<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Centre\u2019s decision to deny permission for Sikh jathas to visit Pakistan for Guru Nanak\u2019s birth anniversary has stirred political controversy. Yet a sober look at history and security realities shows this bar is neither unprecedented nor discriminatory. It is a measure of prudence, part of a long continuum in which the state has had to balance religious sentiment against national security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A History of Disruptions<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sikh pilgrimages to Pakistan have been interrupted repeatedly since Partition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1947, when the subcontinent was torn apart by violence, many historic gurdwaras were left on the Pakistani side of the border. For decades thereafter, access was almost impossible: commcunities uprooted, bridges destroyed, and borders militarised. The yearning for Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur had to remain confined to prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequent decades brought their own disruptions:<\/mark><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Post-1965 War:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 After the destruction of crossings like the Jassar bridge, pilgrim travel was virtually closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 June 2019:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Nearly 150 pilgrims were stopped at Attari when India withheld clearance for a jatha, citing security concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 March 2020\u2013Nov 2021:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>The Kartarpur Corridor, opened with fanfare in 2019, was shut for 20 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 May 2025:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>In the wake of Operation Sindoor, the corridor was abruptly closed; 150 pilgrims were turned back the same day.
\u2022 June 2025:<\/strong><\/em>     India refused permission for a jatha to Lahore for Guru Arjan Dev Ji\u2019s death anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pattern is clear<\/mark><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever national security has been at stake, pilgrimages have been suspended, regardless of the depth of religious sentiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan\u2019s Double Game<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan\u2019s posture as the custodian of Sikh shrines is a veneer. Its treatment of its own minorities has been abysmal, and visiting jathas have repeatedly been exposed to Khalistani propaganda on Pakistani soil. Pilgrimages have thus become convenient platforms for Islamabad to needle India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s Imperative<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The present bar follows the Pahalgam terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor, a period of heightened cross-border militancy. Sending large groups of civilians into Pakistan under such conditions would be reckless. To equate this with cricket matches is misleading: athletes travel under exceptional protection, often at neutral venues, while pilgrim groups are dispersed and vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sikh community has stood shoulder to shoulder with the Indian state in every crisis. It knows that the duty of the state is to protect life first. Partition itself disrupted pilgrimages; wars and terror have done the same since. Today\u2019s restriction is not an affront to faith but a reaffirmation of responsibility. The shrines remain sacred, but the safety of citizens and the sovereignty of the nation must remain supreme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newsline Express <\/mark><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

???? Why It Is Right to Bar Sikh Pilgrim Jathas to Pakistan The Centre\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[6999,7001,955,5745,1028,44,1893,7010,5,45,958,34,39,35],"tags":[7258],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37046"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37046"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37047,"href":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37046\/revisions\/37047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslineexpres.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}