Cong favours permit system pilgrimage of JK devotees to PoK

Jammu: Congress in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday favoured devotees from the state to travel across LoC for undertaking pilgrimage to shrines in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

"We favour Sikh pilgrims and other people interested to visit their shrines in PoK should be allowed to cross over through the established routs on LoC like Chakan-Da-Bagh, Poonch-Rawalakote", JKPCC President Saif-ud-din Soz said addressing Sikh devotees who assembled at Nonial-Nowshera in Rajouri district to commemorate 69th Death Anniversary of Bawa Sunder Singh.

Soz responded to the demand of the Sikh community for facilitation for their travel to PoK to the shrine of Bawa Sunder Singh at Ali-Beig in PoK and said that he would take up the matter with Union Foreign Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.

Soz assured the Sikh contingent that their demands for promotion of Punjabi language, upgrading schools and holding travels in the area with regard to LoC and actual line of control (ALC) would be taken up.

Sikhs and Kashmiri Pandits had demanded travelling on cross LoC permits to undertake pilgrimage of Sikh shrines and Sharda Peeth shrine in PoK from Jammmu and Kashmir.