• Download the Constitution of Pakistan
  • Advertise
WRITE FOR US
Economy.pk
No Result
View All Result
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Life & Style
  • Health
  • World
  • Videos
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Life & Style
  • Health
  • World
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Economy.pk
No Result
View All Result
Home International Politics

Pakistanis welcome Indian Sikhs for founder Guru Nanak’s birthday

by News Desk
November 29, 2021
in International Politics, Pakistan Politics
Reading Time: 4 mins read
Indian Sikhs
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Indian Sikhs are welcomed by Pakistanis, as they come for the 552nd birth anniversary of their founder Guru Nanak.

Source: AFP

The scent of flowers and perfume hangs in the air as thousands of Sikhs from India were welcomed to Pakistan on Friday for one of the world’s biggest birthday celebrations: the 552nd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

The festivities were taking place at the shrine to the founder of the Sikh religion in Nankana Sahib, the Pakistani city where he was born in 1469.

The emotion is heightened this year, as devotees from Pakistan’s arch-rival India were unable to cross the border in 2020, due to coronavirus restrictions.

“I have goosebumps, I can’t explain how I’m feeling,” Darshan Singh, a 70-year-old farmer from India, tells AFP.

“I never thought we would get this sort of love from our Pakistani brothers,” he says. “These women are not Sikh, these children know nothing about our faith, but they are standing up to welcome us with open arms and clean hearts.”

Many others were similarly swept up in the rare sense of cross-border unity between Pakistanis and Indians, divided when the subcontinent was partitioned at independence in 1947.

Annie Munjal, a 24-year-old from Delhi, says her grandparents often told her stories of growing up in Pakistan’s Lahore, near the Indian border, before partition.

“We had heard from them how Pakistan was, but we never got to see,” she says. “Now we are here… they are just like us.”

The celebration of more than 12,000 people at the shrine, or gurdwara, is infectious.

Curious Muslim residents of the city stand on their rooftops to watch, and shower the Sikh processions with rose petals and chocolates.

At the main gates, young Muslims and Hindus join Sikhs in dancing to the beat of the dhol, a South Asian drum.

Posters welcoming the pilgrims alternate with heavy security on the streets leading to the shrine.

The devotees, many of them barefoot, wave saffron flags as they sing hymns and recite poetry and religious texts — all before a massive lunch of rice, naan, chickpeas and sweets.

Source: AFP

– ‘Long wait is over’ –

The first of ten gurus who developed the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak’s teachings laid the basis for a community that now numbers up to 30 million across the world.

But most of the faithful are now in India, where their families fled the sectarian violence that claimed millions of lives during partition.

It was only in 2019 that Pakistan opened a visa-free corridor allowing Sikhs from India to visit Kartarpur, a town where another shrine built to mark the guru’s death lies.

That white-domed gurdwara was so close to the border that for decades devotees in India could see it, but not visit — a situation akin to Muslims being able to see Medina but never enter.

The Covid-19 pandemic prevented Indians from crossing in 2020. This year authorities agreed to reopen the corridor, and the faithful began streaming across in preparation for the birthday celebrations this week.

Some stayed in Kartarpur, while many made their way 180 kilometres (110 miles) southwest to join those celebrating in Nankana Sahib.

“My years long wait is finally over. I am steps away from my guru’s home,” Buljit Kaur, a 61-year-old pilgrim from India, tells AFP in Nankana Sahib.

Pervaiz Ahmed, a 41 year old local doctor was coming out of a mosque on the same street as the gurdwara.

“Sikhs find their roots here, this is the place they belong to. We have no objections seeing them coming in such big numbers,” he said.

The Indian farmer, Darshan Singh, says he will return with his family.

“This is the first time I came to Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, and it looks like I have wasted 70 years of my life,” he says.

“The emotions and feelings cannot be explained.” _ Source AFP

Tags: Guru NanakPakistanSikhs
News Desk

News Desk

Related Posts

CJP Isa fines lawyer for wasting court’s time

CJP Isa fines lawyer for wasting court’s time

On Thursday, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa punished a lawyer for squandering the court's time. According...

NAB moves to reopen graft cases against political bigwigs after SC order

NAB moves to reopen graft cases against political bigwigs after SC order

Following the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the anti-graft law modifications, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) decided in principle...

COAS terms junior leaders backbone of Pak Army

COAS terms junior leaders backbone of Pak Army

According to a press release released yesterday by the ISPR media wing, Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir,...

Karachi all set to get new fleet of modern buses

Karachi all set to get new fleet of modern buses

Sharjeel Inam Memon, former Sindh communication and transport minister, said on Wednesday that a new fleet of buses purchased during...

LHC gives Punjab IG ‘last opportunity’ to recover missing anchorperson Imran Riaz

LHC gives Punjab IG ‘last opportunity’ to recover missing anchorperson Imran Riaz

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday offered the Punjab police chief a "last chance" to find missing anchorperson Imran...

Number of registered voters reaches nearly 127 million in 2023: ECP

Number of registered voters reaches nearly 127 million in 2023: ECP

According to calculations done in July this year, the total number of registered voters in Pakistan increased from 105.95 million...

Next Post
Green Line BRTS to be full operational from 10th Jan

PM to launch ‘Green Line’ bus system in next 2 weeks

Please login to join discussion

Recent Posts

  • Pakistan imported food items worth Rs374.98bn in two months
  • Here’s the Possible Pakistan Squad For the ODI World Cup 2023
  • Haris Rauf declared fit for ICC World Cup
  • Elections to be held in last week of January, says ECP
  • Cars You Can Buy in Pakistan for the Same Price as an iPhone 15 Pro Max

Advertisement

Twitter

Economy.pk

Economy.pk is a source of economic, political, business, finance, health and sports updates.

Categories

  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Life & Style
  • Health
  • World
  • Videos

Privacy & Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

© 2023 Economy.pk

No Result
View All Result
  • VIDEOS
  • World
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Oceania
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Finance
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Real Estate
  • Technology
    • Cyber Security
    • Mobiles
    • Social Media
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Life & Style
    • Personalities
    • Art
    • Culture
    • History
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
      • Environment
      • Fitness
  • Sponsored

© 2023 Economy.pk