Inda-Pak tensions disrupt Sikh pilgrimages, raise corridor security concerns
Amritsar: The conflict between India and Pakistan — triggered by the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives — is having major religious repercussions, particularly for Sikh pilgrims.
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The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has been forced to suspend planned visits to Pakistan and the
remains closed for daily pilgrimages to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Kartarpur Sahib) in Pakistan.
SGPC secretary Partap Singh on Monday announced that the committee would not send a jatha to Pakistan to observe the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh on June 29, citing travel restrictions imposed by the Centre.
He said that a jatha scheduled for May 15, intended to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev, also could not proceed for the same reason.
Singh appealed to the central govt to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor, stressing the importance of allowing devotees to fulfil their religious aspirations by visiting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib, via the Integrated Check Post at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district.
India had suspended the day-long pilgrimage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib on May 7, just hours after the launch of Operation Sindoor, citing security concerns for pilgrims.
Meanwhile, a religious ceremony was reportedly held at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore on Monday to observe the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev. This follows an "unprecedented" symbolic reception ceremony organised by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) at Wagah (Pakistan) on June 9, which media reports suggest was aimed at "inflaming Sikh religious sentiments as part of its ongoing anti-India agenda".
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Meanwhile, as more details of Pakistan's alleged espionage network emerge, questions are being raised about the management of the Kartarpur Corridor. It is becoming increasingly evident, according to sources, why the Pakistani govt opted not to entrust the corridor's management to the PSGPC. Instead, it established a new entity, the Project Management Unit (PMU), placing it under the direct control of senior officials from the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Intelligence agencies indicate that all three people recently arrested on spying charges – Devender Singh Dhillon, Jyoti Malhotra, and Jasbir Singh – had visited Kartarpur Sahib, which is reportedly under the ISI's direct control.
According to media reports, Brigadier Muhammad Latif of the Pakistan Army was appointed as the PMU's first chief executive officer (CEO), later replaced by Muhammad Abu Bakar Aftab Qureshi, a senior ISI deputy director general.
Further concerns were raised when Pakistan constituted a nine-member management team, comprised solely of Muslim officials, to oversee the operations of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur.
Indian intelligence sources have expressed concern that the appointment of Ramesh Singh Arora as the first Sikh minister in Pakistan's Punjab province may be a strategic move by the ISI. As president of the PSGPC, Arora is reportedly being positioned to expand the ISI's influence among Indian Sikh organisations, using religious outreach and cross-border engagements as a cover for intelligence operations.
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