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Kartarpur Sahib: Indian agencies suspect Sikh devotees while Pakistan respects them

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India should understand as to how Pakistan wins over the devotees visiting Kartarpur Sahib through the visa free access corridor in six hours, the total time that the visitors spend at the shrine where Guru Nanak finally settled after long sojourns across the regions in Asia.
This is the key to the entire problem that has made the Kartarpur Sahib shrine suspect and perceived to be a security threat by India. Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta had recently made the revelation about this perception in his controversial interview in which he talked of Pakistan’s capacity to turn Sikh devotees into instant terrorists within six hours.
It may be mentioned that the police earlier questioned some devotees from Deriwal village in Gurdaspur district who had recently returned from paying obeisance at Kartarpur Sahib provoking strong reaction. The opposition took it up in the ongoing budget session of the Assembly.
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday justified the police action saying it had been done on the request of the Intelligence Bureau “in the interest of national security”. He said  had the Gurdaspur police failed to cooperate with IB in the wake of security concerns expressed by the latter, he would have taken strict action against the former.
Replying to Kultar Singh Sandhwan from AAP in the Assembly, he maintained the Punjab Police had acted within permissible limits of functioning. He made it clear that his government would cooperate with central agencies in the larger interest of the nation's security, as and when required. If the police force fails to act in accordance with the established security mechanism in coordination with the central agencies, action would be taken against them, he added.
He is perfectly right so far as extending cooperation to the central agencies so far as the issues regarding national security are concerned.
The basic issue involved, however, is as to why the Sikhs continue to be suspects. It may be mentioned that one of the main reasons Pt Jawaharlal Nehru had rejected the Punjabi Suba demand while other states were being re-organised on linguistic basis was the security concern of Punjab being a border. That amounted to suspecting the Sikhs at that time. Sikh stalwart master Tara Singh had been attacked by the Congress as the Pakistani agent at one time going by the record.
The larger dimension is regarding capacity of Pakistan to win over the hearts of the Sikhs within six hours at Kartarpur Sahib. It is the treatment on the other side that is diametrically opposite.
This is from the personal experience of this writer.
Even at the cost of being repetitive, it is pertinent to mention that the behaviour by the security agencies on the Indian side borders what can be termed as rude. The devotees are frisked at two points while crossing over to Pakistan and again at two points on return.
Nothing of this sort is there on the Pakistani side. The devotees are welcomed with all the respect, and in Punjabi. The security people on the Indian side speak Hindi. This leaves a lasting impression.
The devotees experience similar love and respect from people of Pakistan at the shrine. The number of women from Pakistan from the neighbouring areas visiting the shrine is much larger than men. The shrine is developing as a tourist place.
Baba Nanak is revered by them too.
Pakistan is winning over the Sikh devotees with the weapon of love.
It is a fact that Pakistan played its subtle card  and Kartarpur Sahib corridor is part of the deeper design. However, suspecting the Sikhs won’t counter that design.
Indian agencies  would have to change perception and strategy on this sensitive issue.





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