Sikh pilgrims leaving for Pakistan by a special train from Attari Railway Station on to celebrate Baisakhi and visit Panja Sahib,Nankana Sahib and Dera Sahib. (File photo)
A man from Amritsar district who went with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Jatha for a pilgrimage to Pakistan failed to return with the Jatha (delegation) which returned on Saturday.
Police in Punjab said they did not have any clue about 23-year-old Amarjit Singh, a resident of Niranjanpur village in Amritsar district, who was found missing when the delegation returned after a 10-day pilgrimage.
Amarjit’s younger brother Prabhjot Singh said he last spoke to his brother over the phone on April 12, a day after he dropped him at a bus station in Rayya town to take a bus for Amritsar.
“He was still on the Indian side when I spoke to him on April 12. After that there has been no contact with him and yesterday we were told that he has not returned ,” said Prabhjot. He said Amarjit had returned from Malaysia a few months ago after working there for a year on a construction project.
Prabhjot said Amarjit told the family that he wanted to go with the SGPC Jatha to pay obeisance at Sikh shrines in Pakistan.
Amarjit’s father is an agriculturist and mother a homemaker. Besides Prabhjot, Amarjit has another brother Harpreet Singh, who also worked in Malaysia before both of them came back.
SGPC Jatha incharge Gurmeet Singh said as per an official of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), Pakistan, Amarjit “was in Lahore on April 18, when the pilgrims reached Lahore from Nankana Sahib and went missing later on”. Singh said it was not clear under what circumstances Amarjit went missing.
Border Range IG Surinder Pal Singh Parmar said, “We have received reports that Amarjit Singh did not return from Pakistan and is missing. We are coordinating with other agencies.”