~Mithila Rajagopal ’12
The month of October has been a frenzy of travel alerts issued left, right and center. The already tense relationship between India and Pakistan is not becoming any better, as India issued a travel advisory against traveling to Pakistan on Tuesday, the 27th of October. The string of terror attacks in the Punjab province of Pakistan has urged the Indian government to attempt the curtailing of travel to Pakistan. Despite this warning, more than a hundred pilgrims left India for Lahore to celebrate the 540th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. The rampant spread of violence and aggression in Pakistan has not deterred these determined pilgrims as they made their way across the border. Prior pilgrimages to Rawalpindi in Pakistan have had to be cut short because of security issues. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), mini-parliament of the Sikhs, is continuing to organize trips to Pakistan and is requesting clearance from the government. If they are successful in obtaining clearance, then the Indian government will have the added responsibility of working with Pakistan to ensure the safety of the Sikh pilgrims.
India has its own travel security issues. The United States has recently issued a travel advisory to India alerting its citizens of the possibility of terrorist activities in the region. The November 2008 attacks in Mumbai have shown that the foreigners are liable targets for terrorist activities. The US government advised Americans “to monitor local news reports and consider the level of security present when visiting public places, including religious sites, or choosing hotels, restaurants, entertainment and recreation venues.’’ India is not, however, regarded to be as much a dangerous situation, as is the other 30 countries that the US has issued travel warnings for – including most of the countries in South Asia, particularly, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
In these rough times, it is definitely advisable to be as cautious as possible. Let us hope the new year and increasing military action in Pakistan and Afghanistan will bring us a better and safer future.
Source: IBN Live, Times of India