Soft Power

Publishing date: 09 June 2024

Published in: The Nation

Hundreds of Sikhs have come to Pakistan for religious events commemorating the martyrdom day of the fifth Guru of Sikhism. The annual arrival of Sikhs for pilgrimage and Pakistan’s preservation and maintenance of their religious sites is a beautiful display of harmony. Despite strained relations with India, the routine visits of the Sikh community from India remain uninterrupted. This is a prime example of ‘winning hearts and minds’ in our local context.

Sikhs also come from the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States for Guru Nanak’s birthday celebrations, boosting religious tourism. Additionally, Hindus from India travel each year to the Hinglaj Mata Temple for pilgrimage. Providing neat and clean accommodation and facilitating travel across gurdwaras for Sikh pilgrims demonstrates Pakistan’s dedication to maintaining warm ties with Sikhs and promoting religious tourism. The Kartarpur Corridor is a milestone that will always be remembered, earning Pakistan the gratitude of Indian Sikhs.

For this particular religious event, 962 visas were issued, and in April, Pakistan extended 2,843 visas to Indian Sikhs for Baisakhi celebrations. Year-round, the Sikh community visits with ease and receives the warmest welcome. Special trains are dedicated to ease their movement from one gurdwara to another during grand events.

This is the beauty of interfaith harmony, and Pakistan has kept this beauty alive. While things are not ideal, this aspect of our soft diplomacy deserves as much credit as the criticism it receives when incidents of religious intolerance occur.