By:Afnan Khan

LAHORE: Thousands of Sikhs visiting the country from across the globe celebrated the 539th birthday of their father Guru Nanak Dev Jee at the Main Gurudawara Janam Asthan with religious zeal.

However, the Sikhs were barred from conducting their holiest religious ritual called Nagar Kirthan by the authorities to ensure the security of the pilgrims amid high threat of terrorism by undisclosed sources in the wake of the security situation in the country.

The authorities confined around 20,000 pilgrims to the premises of their main Gurudawara Janam Asthan and even blocked all the areas linked to the holy place while ordering the closure of each and every shop near the place where Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born.

Federal Law Minister Syed Afzal Hyder was the chief guest on the occasion who told the visitors that Government of Pakistan spent Rs 113 million on the renovation and development of gurudawaras in the country in the last two years while they had increased the fund to Rs 117 million for the next year.

He said three saints named Baba Farid, Baba Guru Nanak and Baba Bulleh Shah were considered the heart and sole of the spiritual fabric of the Punjabi society and he had personally done a lot of research work on the mystics, including Waris Shah.

He also promised to restore the Sikh Marriage Act which was merged into the Hindu Marriage Act in 1921 by the Britons. He said he had personally visited Baba Nanak's shrine many times and believed that his ministry was made possible with the blessings of Baba Nanak Jee.

The Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, Lt Gen (retd) Zulfiqar Khan, said that the government was establishing three international hotels in Nankana Sahib, Hassan Abdal and Lahore to facilitate the Sikh pilgrims. He also said that the project of Punjabi University in Nankana Sahib was entering its final phase and it would be a unique university of its kind in the region.

Gurudawara Parbandhak Committee President Sardar Bhishon Singh said the committee left no stone unturned to serve the pilgrims while they were building 100 air-conditioned rooms in each of the three Gurudawaras named Janam Asthan, Punja Sahib and Dera Sahib while they were also striving to promote the message of Sikh mystics in the region.

The Akal Takht in Amritsar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Sardar Manmohan Singh and many other Sikh and Muslim representatives addressed on the occasion.

However, commenting on the security situation, ETPB additional secretary shrines Syed Faraz Abbas told The News that the unprecedented decision was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the security of the pilgrims visiting from different parts of the globe. "We are very sorry that the pilgrims wonít be able to conduct one of their major rituals due to the security reasons while the department and government officials themselves worked day and night to arrange the Nagar Kirthan," the ETPB official stated while refusing to comment at the level and the sources of the threat.

He added that all law enforcement agencies worked hrd in ensuring safe and sound journey and worship of the pilgrims. The Sikh visitors are supposed to visit, at least, seven of their main gurudawars during the ritual called Nagar Kirthan and then they join the Bhog-Akhand Paat in the Gurudawara Janam Asthan.

However, the visitors expressed mixed reaction over the situation while a visitor named Mohan Singh said that they visited all the way from Canada to their religious places and were enthusiastic about visiting their seven holy gurudawaras but they could also understand that the Pakistani authorities had barred them from doing so for their own good.

Jugindar Singh from India said he never wanted to miss the golden event of conducting the ritual of Nagar Kirthan but the authorities did not allow the visitors to move so openly. He said he was not afraid of death and visiting his spiritual guides' places was something more important than his life.

Harbjeet Kaur said she was from the UK and practiced the traditional Sikh war methodology called Gatka. She was of the view that the authorities should have at least kept the option open for those who wanted to visit the holy gurudawaras despite the threat. Somehow, the pilgrims conducted the other rituals linked with the main gurudawara, including Paat and Palki Sahib within the restricted area.

The locals and government departments had set up different stalls containing edibles, Sikh religious music, kirpans, jewellery, literature and many other products, which caught the attention of visitors, especially the women and children.

The Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab had also set up a stall containing posters of Sikh religious places, the cultural heritage of the region and the literature educating on travelling and available resorts as well as facilities in the province.