Sikhs in Pakistan?
Earlier in the month, an East Panjabi newspaper editor, Baljit Brar, posed the possibility that Pakistan stood to earn up to $500 million per year by promoting Sikh tourism.
Brar suggests that since the airport in Lahore is more convenient and is better maintained than that in Amritsar, with better border mobility the Lahore airport could be the airport of choice for diasporic Sikhs. Many Sikhs have bought into the ‘Romance that is Panjabiyat,’ including at-times the present langa(w)r-iter. While Brar’s numbers may be grossly optimistic, I do believe that many Sikhs would love to take advantage of new tourism and travel opportunities.
Many Sikhs left West Panjabi villages and cities in their stead in 1947. Another langa(w)r-iter had commented on the traumas of Partition. The opportunity to revisit one ancestral home may be part of the process in healing old wounds.
Brar makes a number of suggestions. In a world where economics flows across borders, new opportunities may avail themselves to the Sikhs to increase the prosperity of Panjab. One hopes governments can help create an environment where greater flows are possible. I definitely have longed to visit West Panjab. What about you? Is something like this feasible?
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the lahore airport, which is already open to diasporic sikhs who are citizens of countries other than india, is definitely convenient for them (or for indian sikhs who live outside of punjab, provided there were direct flights to lahore and that they were allowed to fly). however, this is not necessarily true for punjabi sikhs. the suggestion made by brar towards the end of the article seems more practical for punjabi sikh pilgrims: open the wagah border. when i lived in lahore in the mid-1990s, i crossed the wagah border by road (literally walking across the border) several times. sometimes, it took me less than two hours to get from the center of lahore to that of amritsar (and vice versa). it would typically take around the same time if not more to merely commute to airports in both cities.
Thank you Gurdit for emphasizing that point that Brar was making the suggestion for East Punjabi Sikhs. Sorry if that was not clear enough.
I have travelled throughout Pakistani Punjab. It is truly amazing. Islamabad International airport is fast and efficient, and Sikhs are always welcomed with a warm smile and greeting in Punjabi. Narowal and Sialkot are beautiful places to visit. There are still remnants of local Gurdwaras in those areas. Dera Sahib in Lahore is beautiful too. Nankana Sahib is in the heart of the Sheikhapura Disrict – and another must visit. My personal recommendation would be Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal. That was awesome. People are friendly and a majority of them speak Punjabi. Random people on the streets of Lahore came up to me to hug me and express how happy they were to see a turban on the streets of Lahore. The common sentiment was that politicians had created a wedge between two peoples who shared a common language, common food, and a common creed of hospitality and generosity. As a good Muslim friend once taught me: “If you’re body is split in to two parts how can one side say that it doesn’t belong to the other.”
I LOVE PAKISTAN!!!
ALLAH HAMESHA HAMAREY PAKISTAN KO QAIM O DAIM RAKHEY!!!
I AM PROUD TO BE A PAKISTANI!!!
EY ALLAH TERA BOHTTTTTTTTT SHUKR HAI KEY HAMEY PAKISTAN JESA PYARA AUR NAIK MULK ATA KIYA!!!
pakistan naik nahi papi pakistan he islamist extremist terrorist republic of pakistan he .bikhari he amrica se bhik mangta rahta he .allah pakistan ko nahi hindustan ko pyarr kar ta he u basterds u export terror .all pakistanis r extremists where only extremist islam exists india is secular.salo tumhe azadi ke baad hi mar dena tha tum pehle hindu ho phir pakistani muslim u r converted people bcoz only hinduism was exixting earlieru basterds tum pakistani hijde ho agar dum he to samne se lado atankwadio ko kyun samne late ho .