Sikh procession in Pak shelved due to terror threat

ISLAMABAD: A traditional Sikh procession in Pakistan was shelved after intelligence reports said that terrorists planed to attack the gathering, including over 4,000 pilgrims from India.

The traditional procession at the end of the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh religion, was shelved in Pakistan after intelligence reports said that terrorists planed to attack the procession.

For the first time since the partition of the Indian subcontinent, the procession at the end of the three-day celebrations of Guru Nanak Devs 539th birth anniversary was not taken out from Gurdwara Janamasthan to the other seven gurdwaras in Punjab Province's Nankana Sahib due to security concerns.

Pakistan Sikh Gurdawara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Sardar Bishen Singh told the pilgrims that several intelligence reports had been received that terrorists wanted to attack the procession to sabotage the peaceful gathering, the Daily Times reported on Sunday.
   
Nankana Sahib is the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the first guru of the Sikhs. Strong contingents of police guarded main gates of all seven gurdwaras and security scanners were installed.

The annual procession, Nagar Kirtan, is held in connection with the birth anniversary of the Guru. The procession this year was restricted to Gurdwara Janamasthan due to security reasons.

Several Sikh pilgrims opposed the move. A meeting of Pakistan Sikh Gurdawara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), Shiromani Gurdawara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Delhi Gurdawara Management Committee (DGMC) was held on Saturday, the report said.

The decision to restrict the procession to Gurdwara Janamasthan was taken after consultation with Sikh leader Bhai Jogindar Singh Vidhanti at the Golden Temple in India's Amritsar city.

Over 5,000 Sikh pilgrims from across the world had reached Pakistan to celebrate the Guru's anniversary. Over 1,000 personnel of Rawalpindi police and over 100 mobile squads were deployed to avert any untoward incident.

Several gurdwaras were built in honour of Guru Nanak at Nankana Sahib, 75 km southwest of Lahore. The prominent ones include Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Gurdwara Bal Lila, Gurdwara Patti Sahib, Gurdwara Kiara Sahib, Gurdwara Mal ji Sahib, Gurdwara Tambu Sahib and Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi.