Pak offers 10,000 visas to Indian pilgrims for event
AMRITSAR : The Pakistan government has offered 10,000 visas to Indian pilgrims for participating in the centenary of the massacre of Sikhs at Nankana Sahib, popularly known as Saka Nankana Sahib that will be marked on a large scale at the birthplace of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak.
The massacre took place in Gurdwara Janam Asthan at Nankana Sahib on February 20, 1921, as more than 260 Sikhs were killed by the gurdwara mahant and his mercenaries.
“Like it did on the 550th Parkash Gurpurb (birth anniversary) of the first Sikh Guru last year, the Pakistan government has announced to offer 10,000 visas to the Indian pilgrims to attend the centenary. Planning and preparations for marking the centenary have begun,” Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (PSGPC) president Satwant Singh told HT over phone.
PSGPC member Inderjit Singh said, “The Pakistan government’s efforts for Sikhs will be worth if more members of the community mark their presence on the occasions.”
The Indian government also contributed a lot to opening of the Kartapur corridor, a longpending demand of Sikhs for having visa-free access to the last resting place of Guru Nanak,” he added.
On Wednesday, the PSGPC had urged the Indian government to allow the Indian devotees to visit Kartarpur Sahib on Jyoti Jot Gurpurb of Guru Nanak being observed from September 20 to 22.
AMRITSAR: A four-member team of engineers from Pakistan on Thursday held a meeting with Indian officials over the construction of a portion of a bridge under the Kartarpur corridor project in their territory.
The Pakistan team — comprising Murad Ali Kasana (GIS expert), Amjad Ali (chief surveyor), Tariq Mehmood and Muhammad Faisal (both surveyors)—also conducted a detailed survey of the portion of the bridge that has already been constructed on the Indian side.
Around 400-metre bridge was to be constructed under the Kartarpur Corridor project last year. India built the 100-metre stretch of the bridge in its territory before the corridor’s inauguration in November last year. Pakistan, however, had expressed its inability to construct its portion in the stipulated time, but promised to complete the construction in the coming days.
The bridge’s construction was necessitated as the low-lying area of the border gets inundated when the Ravi is in spate every year. A causeway on the low-lying stretch was constructed as a temporary measure.
An hour-long meeting was held at the bridge on the Indian side at Dera Baba Nanak. The eight-member Indian technical team included vice-president of Ceigall India Jatinder Singh, National Highways Authority of India junior engineer Nishant, Land Ports Authority of India (Dera Baba Nanak Integrated Check Post manager Dalbir Singh, assistant commandant of 185 battalion of the BSF Kaushal.