- Sunday, May 05, 2024
The victim, Sardar Jangir Singh, was among 2,400 Indian Sikh pilgrims who visited Pakistan to witness the festival and pay their homage to various gurdwaras in Pakistan.
By: Twinkle Roy
AN Indian Sikh pilgrim visiting the city of Lahore in Pakistan for a Baisakhi festival has died of cardiac arrest, official sources in Pakistan told news agency Press Trust of India.
The deceased, Sardar Jangir Singh, was among nearly 2,400 Sikh pilgrims who reached Lahore from Patiala in India’s Punjab state via the Wagah border on April 13 to take part in the festival. The rest of the tourists returned to their homeland on Monday (22).
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“Sardar Jangir Singh, 67, s/o Jarnail Singh, a resident of Patiala, died of cardiopulmonary arrest on Monday,” Evacuee Trust Property Board spokesperson Amir Hashmi was quoted as saying by PTI.
Hashmi added that Singh, 67, suffered the attack during his stay in Gurdwara Dera Sahib Lahore and was shifted immediately to Mayo Hospital Lahore where he was announced dead on arrival.
The body was handed over to the Indian security forces at the Wagah border, the official added. There, officials of Pradhan Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Evacuee Trust Property Board and Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, a minister of Pakistan’s Punjab, ensured their safe departure.
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The main festival took place at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal. The Indian Sikh pilgrims, during their 10-day visit, also paid homage at Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Sheikhupura, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Gurdwara Rori Sahib in Gujranwala and Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore.
“We are always ready to welcome guests from the neighboring country,” Arora said.
(with PTI inputs)
