Lahore, Oct 8: Indian Sikhs have demanded of the Pakistan government to allow the community to celebrate all the eight major festivals in the country. At present the Pakistan Government allows the community to celebrate only six festivals, except the two, viz. the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Gubind Singh and Saka Nankana Sahib.

Putting forth this demand, Jathedar Gopal Singh Janiya, a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC), Amritsar thanked the Pakistan government for increasing the number of Sikh events from four to six.

Janiya is the party leader of Sikh pilgrims that reached Pakistan on Monday to commemorate the 474th birthday of the fourth guru in Sikhism, Guru Ram Das at Chuna Mandi Gurdwara.

He said that this was the first time Sikh pilgrims of the SGPC had been allowed to commemorate this event in Pakistan, reported the Daily Times.

He said that the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in Pakistan, which looks after the interests of the minorities in Pakistan, was “working well” in maintaining the Chuna Mandi Gurdwara, the birthplace of fourth Sikh guru.

He said that the SGPC had assigned Jugtar Singh to renovate the Chuna Mandi Gurdwara, as he was the competent authority of the SGPC to construct and renovate all the gurdwaras in India.

This time, the SGPC has donated two Chandoa Sahib (embroidered cloth covering Guru Granth Sahib), worth Rs two lakh each to the Chuna Mandi Gurdwara, he added.

Both the governments should ease traveling restrictions on Sikh pilgrims, he said and added that the distance between Lahore and Amritsar was barely 50 km but it took 11 hours for the pilgrims to reach Lahore. (ANI)