Pakistan can earn up to $500m by promoting Sikh tourism

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Indian editor says Sikhs should be permitted to land directly at Lahore Airport

By Abdul Manan
LAHORE: Pakistan can earn up to $500 million per year by promoting Sikh tourism and allowing tourists to land directly at the Lahore airport, editor of daily ‘Aj Di Awaaz’ and monthly ‘Punjab Times’ Baljit Singh Brar told Daily Times on Tuesday.

Brar is in Pakistan to visit Sikh religious sites. He pointed out the merits and demerits of bilateral relations between Pakistan and India and gave several suggestions.

Lahore Airport: Brar said that Sikh tourists from across the world could boost Pakistan’s economy if they were given permission to land directly at the Lahore airport. He said the Lahore airport was better compared to the Amritsar airport. Brar said that it would be beneficial to Sikh traders, who otherwise had to land at Delhi airport, which is quite a distance from Amritsar. He added that less than 20,000 Sikh pilgrims visited Pakistan each year to participate in four major religious events.

Brar said that if the Lahore airport were opened for Sikhs, about half a million Sikhs would visit Pakistan every year. He said the Pakistan government was considering increasing the number of Sikh events in a year from four to nine. Brar said the decision would enable thousands of Sikhs to visit Pakistan every month.

Visa treaty: Brar said that Sikh tourism should be promoted in Pakistan. He said the Indo-Pak visa treaty, which restricts the issuance of tourist visas for travel between the countries, should be amended. He added that tourist visas should be given to applicants on a war footing basis in order to promote Sikh tourism in Pakistan. Brar added that the Pakistani embassy in India should issue more visas to pilgrims.

Brar said that exchange of delegations between both countries have decreased because Pakistan and India are not sincere in bringing Lahore and Amritsar closer. He said that malicious elements existed in both governments, who did not want to see peaceful relations between Delhi and Islamabad.

Brar rejected the Indian impression that if a citizen would visit Pakistan they would be refused visas for Western countries. Brar stressed that Sikh pilgrims should be allowed to come through the Wagha border. He said that only one joint checkpost should be set up at Wagha in order to facilitate visitors. He added that intelligence agencies from both sides should stop questioning pilgrims. Brar said that journalists should be allowed to move freely across the border. He added that they should not be bothered by intelligence agencies during their visit.

Brar compared the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and praised the PSGPC. He said that the SGPC should take suggestions from the PSGPC in conducting its religious affairs. He said the PSGPC should set up a counter at the Pakistan embassy in Delhi to accommodate Sikh pilgrims.

Brar said that Gurdwara Kartarpur at Narowal was not fit and should be rehabilitated. He said that a lot of resources and manpower were needed for the restoration work.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...008_pg13_8