The Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday denied permission to a batch of 600 Sikhs to visit gurdwaras in Pakistan, citing security concerns...
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday denied permission to a batch of 600 Sikhs to visit gurdwaras in Pakistan, citing security concerns and the coronavirus pandemic, reported PTI. The pilgrims were scheduled to begin their countrywide tour of the neighbouring country on Friday.
In a communication to the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, the ministry said that the security situation in Pakistan continues to be adverse and that there was a threat to Indian citizens in that country.
“Besides, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected five lakh people in Pakistan and 10,000 people lost their lives due to the disease,” the notice added. “The health infrastructure in Pakistan is also not adequate.” According to the World Health Organization, there have been more than 5.64 lakh Covid-19 cases and 12,380 deaths in Pakistan.
The ministry noted that both passenger and trade traffic between India and Pakistan has stopped since March 2020 due to the pandemic. Based on these reasons, the government said it decided not to accord permission to the Jatha comprising 600 pilgrims to cross over to Pakistan on Friday.
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