“If cricket can cross borders, why not devotion?”, Pargat Singh questions Centre’s stand on Sikh pilgrims

Chandigarh(The Uttam Hindu): Padma Shri Pargat Singh, MLA and Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, has strongly condemned the Union Government’s refusal to allow Sikh jathas to visit Sri Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on the sacred occasion of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Prakash Purab, terming it an “assault on religious rights.”

Singh said faith cannot be held hostage to politics and accused the Centre of following “selective policies.” “If cricket, trade, and film exchanges with Pakistan are permitted, why are Sikh pilgrims 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 bilateral agreements, Sikh pilgrims were guaranteed permission on four major 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 a violation of religious freedom,” he added.

Pargat Singh demanded 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 stressed.

Commenting on Punjab’s ongoing flood rehabilitation, Singh said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has always stood with the people of Punjab in times of crisis. “Rahul Ji understands Punjab’s pain and pulse like no one else, and he will raise Punjab’s voice powerfully in Parliament,” he said.