The Canadian Parvasi - Issue105

The International News Weekly India
August 02, 2019 | Toronto 08
First time after Partition, ‘Nagar
Kirtan’ arrives from Pak to India
Continued from page 01
An official of the Shiromani
Gurdwara Parbandhak
Committee (SGPC), an
apex religious body of the
Sikhs, said a large cavalcade
followed the religious
procession from Gurdwara
Nankana Sahib to Wagah
border amid a thick security
cover. The SGPC was
involved in organising
the event with the support
from both Indian and Pakistani
authorities.
Gurdwara Nankana
Sahib is the birthplace of
Guru Nanak Dev, which
falls in Pakistan.
The Pakistani authorities
had provided a special
permission to the Sikh
community to take out
‘Nagar Kirtan’, which will
culminate at Sultanpur Lodhi
in Kapurthala district
of Punjab after passing
through various cities and
towns.
The Nagar Kirtan will
halt at Golden Temple,
Amrisar, tonight before it
begins its onward journey.
Prominent among
those who were with
the ‘Nagar Kirtan’ from
Pakistan include Akal
Takht Jathedar Harpreet
Singh, SGPC president
Gobind Singh Longowal
and Delhi Gurdwra Management
Committee president
Manjinder Singh
Sirsa.
SAD president Sukhbir
Singh Badal, his wife and
Union Minister Harsimrat
Kaur Badal were present
at the Attari border to receive
the procession.
Punjab Cabinet ministers
O P Soni, Sukhjinder
Randhawa and local Congress
MLAs were also present.
Around 500 kg of flowers
were arranged by the
SGPC to shower on the
‘Nagar Kirtan’ on the way
from Attari to Golden
Temple, besides a special
‘langar’ (community kitchen)
arrangement has been
made for the devotees who
will move with the religious
procession.
A special red carpet
was also laid by the SGPC
at Joint Check Post at the
Attari border to accord a
welcome to the ‘Nagar Kirtan’.
On July 30, nearly 500
Sikh devotees had crossed
over to Pakistan to bring
the ‘Nagar Kirtan’ to India.
Pakistan to grant consular
access to Jadhav, India
evaluating proposal
Over 500 Sikh pilgrims to enter
India from Pakistan via road
Amritsar : In a first-of-its-kind since
Partition, a team of over 500 Sikh pilgrims
will enter India from Pakistan via road
on Thursday after paying obeisance at
the historic Nankana Sahib as part of the
550th birth anniversary celebrations of
Guru Nanak, event organisers said.
Two days ago, the pilgrims entered
Punjab province of Pakistan.
“I invite Sangat to join at Attari Border
in maximum number to welcome the
Nagar Kirtan from Sri Nankana Sahib today
at 1.30 pm,” tweetedMLA Manjinder
Sirsa. Sirsa, who is the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara
Committee president, is leading the
pilgrims from India.
“Pakistan feels honoured that celebrations
of the 550th birth anniversary of
Guru Nanak are being started from Nankana
Sahib,” the Pakistan High Commission
in New Delhi said in a statement.
The Pakistan government is taking
several initiatives to make the celebrations
memorable and historic, it added.
Continued from page 01
The move comes after the ICJ rapped Islamabad
for continually denying Jadhav, incarcerated
in a military jail in an unknown
location in Pakistan, consular access in accordance
with the Vienna Convention.
In its July 17 verdict, the ICJ had directed
Pakistan for a continued stay on the death
sentence of Jadhav and to provide him consular
access.
Pakistan had refused to allow Indian officials
to meet Jadhav ever since his "arrest"
in March 2016 for alleged espionage.
In April 2017, he was sentenced to death
by a military court, after which India approached
the ICJ.