Faith cannot be held hostage to politics: Pargat Singh

 Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): Padma Shri Pargat Singh, MLA and Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, today strongly condemned the Union Government’s decision to deny permission for Sikh jathas to visit Sri Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on the sacred occasion of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Prakash Purab.

Singh questioned the Centre’s “selective policies,” pointing out that cricket matches, trade, and film exchanges with Pakistan are permitted, yet Sikh pilgrims are stopped. “Faith cannot be censored or confined. If cricket can cross borders, why can’t devotion?” he asked.

He recalled that under the 1950 and 1974 agreements, Sikh pilgrims were guaranteed permission on four key occasions annually, including Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Prakash Purab. “First, the government blocked jathas on Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Shahidi Divas. Now again, they are denying access on Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary. This is not just unfair—it is an assault on religious rights,” Singh said.

Pargat Singh demanded that the Union Government immediately review its decision and allow the Sikh jatha to travel with full security arrangements. “Punjab is asking for justice, not favors. A government that takes pride in diversity cannot place business above faith,” he added.

On Punjab’s flood rehabilitation, Singh said Rahul Gandhi has always stood with Punjabis in times of crisis. “Rahul Ji understands Punjab’s pain and pulse, and he will raise the voice of Punjab powerfully in Parliament,” he noted.