Trip to Pakistan
I know who I am. I am not perfect. I’m not the most beautiful woman in the world. But I’m one of them. Mary J. Blige
Note: If you are from Pakistan please don’t judge me for writing about this experience. I am not targeting any of you. I have no grudges against you. I am sharing my personal experience when I visited your country in 2006. I would request to read my words calmly and see my experience as a visitor only.
Coming back to my journey…
I have been to Pakistan in 2006. It was a pilgrimage trip. I went there with my parents. My father planned it all. He was hearing stories from his colleagues and friends. He didn’t want to miss this opportunity. The icing on the cake was when he visited Pakistan along with my mother thrice. But, I couldn’t muster up courage like him so I just went once. I was done in the first visit itself.
The year 2006
My dad got my passport made for the first time. I believe it was a year ago most probably in 2005. He had to plan this trip a year ahead in his mind first. My mother’s passport was made in the same year. My father is a passport expert. You say it and he will get it done for you. Legally by following all the terms and conditions. I was happy because I have had my citizenship proof in my hands. I was just 20 years old.
Visa to Pakistan
Our passports were gone for the stamp and other legal formalities. It was done at the Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi. We got the visa from 2nd November 2006 to 12th November 2006. It was for ten days and we couldn’t stay in the country beyond that period.
Amritsar India
We reached Amritsar from Delhi on 1st November 2006. It was mild cold at that time. We didn’t sleep as we reached in the night and around 4 am we were about to leave for the railway station. It was on the itinerary that four trains from Pakistan will come to the Amritsar Railway Station to take Indian Passengers. We were asked to board the third train as we were assigned a seat on it.
On reaching the Wagha Border
The real test of my patience started when we reached the Wagha Border because we had to wait there for almost 12 hours. The train came around 9 pm and after boarding the train we reached the station. On reaching the station, we had to get the stamps done again and I was super pissed off.
On the train even though everybody was assigned a ticket and proper seat they didn’t sit on their assigned seats. I saw some other sort of mockery show going on and the police tried to resolve issues amongst stupid fellow passengers.
There was no light on the train and toilets were closed. It was for our security reasons best known to the Pakistan Government. I used to fit in easily to the berth of the train as I was only 45 kgs.
Visiting Gurudwara Nankana Sahib
Our first and foremost place of stay was Gurudwara Nankana Sahib and there we stayed for good four days. We attended the procession, ate Langar, washed our clothes, and ourselves too. It was a great visit and we visited more than 25 other historical Gurudwaras there.
What wasn’t pleasant?
While attending the procession, two insane guys tried to strangulate me with my stole. They did it from behind on purpose and I couldn’t see their face. My parents were ahead of me and when I started shouting one man in white clothes came and got hold of them. He asked me to come with him to the corner. I went there and my parents joined me too.
He said “Not everybody you see in the procession is a good person. Some people could harm you that’s why police are there in the civil dress. Also, they take pictures of Indian girls to upload them online for some mischievous purposes”. I am not sure how true his words were but I didn’t go out from Gurudwara’s premise for the next two days and then we headed to Sacha Sauda Gurudwara.
Visiting Sacha Sauda Gurudwara
It was a pleasant visit to Sacha Sauda Gurudwara but there we heard that one man who aged 50 years passed away while being in the queue to bowhead in front of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. That again disturbed me and I was pondering why did he come for his death to this place? But death could strike us anywhere. My parents had a different view. They said, “There couldn’t be a better place than losing your breath at God’s abode”. I now understand this and completely agree with their view.
Visiting Panja Sahib Gurudwara
This was another Gurudwara of Guru Nanak Dev Ji which we reached and I felt the climate colder and serene than previous places. We stayed inside the Gurudwara and used to go out in the evening. I liked their market but they had a very mischievous view of women.
One of the shopkeepers said to me and my mother “You Sikhs are broad-minded. Your women roam around in the market day and night. We don’t like this so we keep our women back at the home”. We laughed at such a view and told him “You were born by a woman not the other way around. So start respecting them”. He didn’t say a word. We purchased some suits and left for the Gurudwara.
At this juncture, we stopped eating Langar as we weren’t sure what kind of heavy food was being served all the time and we wanted plain food. We didn’t have a choice so we survived on fruits and liquids. Also, we weren’t used to super deluxe food back at home too. That made us suffer being served consistently thrice a day.
We weren’t allowed to be at the terrace of the rooms where we were staying especially men were asked not to be seen on the terrace. They told us people there preferred to shoot any man seen at the terrace with a fear that they were lurking in their houses keeping bad eyes on their women. That pissed me super off.
Visiting Lahore
It was the last place to visit and we were so eager to return home. We stayed in Agrawal’s Ashram and roamed around in the market. My father visited Meena Bazaar too but my mother and I stayed back at the Ashram. Then Musharraf was the Prime Minister and he invited 5000 Sikhs to Fort of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh for dinner. My dad went for it but we didn’t. I wasn’t feeling happy being in Pakistan at all and felt trapped. I wanted to come back to India.
In the Ashram, I met one lady who was beautiful and extremely charming. She invited me to her home. I was about to go when my mother saw me going with her. She shouted at me and told me to come back to the room. My interaction with that lady was quite mysterious. She told me her husband was murdered four days ago and it was one of her husbands out of the four. The way she told me about it so casually I didn’t doubt her as I was stupid.
When I told my mother the same thing she scolded me more. That wasn’t a good feeling and after that, I didn’t interact with more people there.
I regretted losing my notebook there as I noted down everything in it. But I am glad I could have memorized some of the memories and shared with you all here.
I hope you enjoy reading my words and don’t detest me for my bad experiences there.
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Gurpreet Dhariwal is the author of “My Soul Rants: Poems of a Born Spectator.” Her eBook is now available at Google PlayStore, Amazon, and Kindle. Connect with Gurpreet on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Youtube
