Farooq flags off Khalsa march
JAMMU, Dec 15 — Shouting "Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal" more than 10,000 Sikh pilgrims marched from Digiana Ashram today to reach Anandpur Sahib via Amritsar in connection with the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Khalsa.

The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, flagged off the Khalsa march. The pilgrims were led by Panj Piaras. Before the start of the march a turban was tied to the head of Dr Farooq Abdullah.

Several Sikh organisations have joined hands to make suitable arrangements for the pilgrims. The Gurdwara Parbandhak Board headed by Mr Sudarshan Singh Wazir and other Akali leaders had pooled their resources to arrange several hundred buses, matadors, cars and cabs for the pilgrims.

The long caravan of pilgrims was greeted on national highway from Jammu to Madhopur where senior Punjab Akali Dal leaders received them. For another two days large groups of Sikh pilgrims from all over this border state will march to Anandpur Sahib.

Besides Mahant Manjit Singh of Nangali Sahib, several ministers and legislators were present at Digiana from where the Khalsa march took off. The Chief Minister drove with the pilgrims for a few kilometres and then returned to the winter capital.

Addressing the pilgrims, Dr Abdullah expressed concern over the role of some vested interests in creating a wedge between the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and the SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra. He said the differences among Akali leaders would be harmful not only for the Sikh community, but for the whole country.

The Chief Minister called upon Akali leaders to cement their differences and not allow the vested interests to create political and religious problems for the state and the country.

Referring to the difficulties being created by Pakistan in allowing Sikh pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir to visit shrines in Pakistan, Dr Abdullah said he would take up the issue again with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, so that he (Mr Vajpayee) could request his counterpart, Mr Nawaz Sharif, to simplify the visa process. He said, "The Sikh sangat wants to offer prayers at Nankana Sahib and seek spiritual bliss in the shrines in Pakistan. They are not going there to create disturbances and hence there seems to be no reason in singling out the Sikhs of Jammu and Kashmir for preventing them from visiting the shrines."

He said a large number of people from across the border visited Ajmer Sharif and it was hoped that Islamabad would reciprocate the gesture.

The Chief Minister referring to yesterday's visit to Moga said Punjab had started coming back on the rails after 10 years of militancy and much progress had been achieved during the past several years. He hoped that peace and normalcy would return to Jammu and Kashmir shortly.

He urged the people to promote communal amity.