Sikh pilgrims halted from undertaking train journey to Pakistan

A train, scheduled to bring Sikh pilgrims from India to Gurdwara Punja Sahib in Hassanabdal Sunday to perform rituals in connection with the 408th death anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, arrived empty today, DawnNews reported. The special train was halted in India only. The pilgrims will now arrive in Pakistan via the Wagah border on foot. Indian authorities told the pilgrims that it was not safe to undertake a train journey to Pakistan, adding that trains repeatedly came under attacks. Therefore, they said, they could not permit their residents to travel by train to Pakistan. The Indian pilgrims were arriving on a ten-day pilgrimage through Wagha border through the special train to partake in the event called Shaheedi Jor Mela or Shaheedi Purab of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth of the eleven Sikh gurus.