Pakistan Silence: Sikh Pilgrim Sarbjit Kaur Vanishes Post-Celebrations; Police Register Kidnapping Cases In India

Sarbjit Kaur of Kapurthala, part of the Sikh pilgrimage jatha, has failed to return from Pakistan after the Guru Nanak Dev celebrations. Police have registered three cases and launched a search.

Nankana Sahib: Sikh devotees gather around a bus carrying the Guru Granth Sahib during a religious procession. (IANS)

A woman pilgrim from Punjab, who was part of the official jatha visiting Pakistan to attend the 556th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, has failed to return with her group, prompting a police investigation.

The missing woman has been identified as Sarbjit Kaur, a resident of Amanipur village in Kapurthala, who had crossed into Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border earlier this month.

Missing Woman Fails to Return with Jatha

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Sarbjit Kaur was part of a huge contingent of more than 1,900 members of the Sikh community that departed India on November 4th on a 10-day pilgrimage to Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and other historic Sikh shrines.

Timeline: The main jatha of pilgrims returned to India via the Attari-Wagah border late Thursday night, but Sarbjit Kaur was not part of it.

Police Action: Police have started investigating her whereabouts. Station House Officer (SHO) of Talwandi Chaudhrian Nirmal Singh confirmed that three separate cases had been registered in different police stations in Kapurthala to trace the woman.

International Alert: Immigration authorities in Pakistan have informed their Indian counterparts about the incident, and Indian authorities are working on collecting more information from Kaur’s family and village.

First Pilgrimage Jatha Since Travel Restrictions

The jatha that returned on Thursday was significantly the first to get permission to travel to Pakistan after the Indian government imposed the ban following "Operation Sindoor" and other security apprehensions.

Previous restrictions: The Union government had refused permission for the pilgrimage but granted clearance on October 2. In June this year, Sikhs were barred from travelling to Pakistan for Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death anniversary.

New Border Rules: India has tightened its travel restrictions in the wake of recent terror attacks, now permitting only Indian citizens to cross the Attari border, barring foreign passport holders from this route. The investigation is ongoing to determine if the disappearance is one of voluntary overstay or a more serious incident.