Sikh Jatha” stopped at Faisalabad Airport!

Former Minister Mahinderpal explodes in anger, demands apology & compensation

 Sarabjit Singh 

Jammu Tawi, September 13:

Outrage has erupted over the reported stopping of a Sikh jatha at Faisalabad Airport, where devotees travelling from Pakistan to India for the sacred pilgrimage to Sri Hemkund Sahib were reportedly prevented from boarding their flight.

The incident has sparked strong resentment among the Sikh community in Pakistan, with former Pakistan-Punjab Parliamentary Secretary and former Minister Mahinderpal Singh coming out strongly against this shabby treatment of the pilgrims.

Mahinderpal Singh said he was informed that Sikh devotees from Peshawar, Panja Sahib, Lahore and Nankana Sahib had assembled to travel to India for the Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage. However, at Faisalabad Airport, the group was stopped and not allowed to board the aircraft.

Calling the incident deeply painful and unacceptable, Mahinderpal Singh said that the Sikh faith places the highest respect on the Sangat. He questioned how an entire group of pilgrims could be stopped over the purported documentation issues involving some travelers.

Reports suggested that some passengers allegedly did not possess return tickets or required No Objection Certificates. Mahinderpal Singh said that if there was a deficiency in the documents of an individual passenger, that person could have been stopped separately rather than causing hardship to the entire jatha.

“If an NOC was mandatory, the pilgrims should have been clearly informed in advance,” he said, stressing that the entire episode raises serious questions about administrative negligence.

Mahinderpal Singh has demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident and placed three major demands before the Government of Pakistan.

First, officials of the Interior Ministry, airport authorities, the Federal Investigation Agency and other agencies found responsible should personally be held responsible and should apologize to the affected Sikh pilgrims.

Second, he demanded full compensation for the financial losses suffered by the pilgrims, including air tickets, transportation, accommodation and other travel expenses.

Third, he called for strict legal and departmental action against the officials and employees found responsible after the inquiry.

Mahinderpal Singh said the matter cannot be brushed aside and must be investigated transparently. He stressed that Pakistan should reassure the global Sikh community that the dignity, faith and respect of Sikh pilgrims visiting the country’s historic religious shrines will continue to be protected.

He further said that such an incident should never be repeated and that “the dignity of the Sikh Sangat cannot be compromised.”