Pakistan treated us worse than dogs: Pro-Khalistani leader Gopal Chawla

Chandigarh, July 17 (IANS) Perturbed by his unceremonious removal as the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee general secretary, pro-Khalistani leader Gopal Singh Chawla has said that "Pakistan treated him worse than a dog".

"Pakistan ne hamey kutta bhi nahi samjha," he was heard saying in a video on the social media.

In the video, he said, despite all the sacrifices made by him, he was booted out of the panel. "We understand the decision was a part of a policy, but at least the PSGPC members could have been called for a meeting before announcing the decision. No one even asked for our views. We were treated like dogs," he said.

Acceding to India's request, Pakistan dropped Chawla from a panel linked to the Kartarpur Corridor, ahead of the July 14 meeting between officials of the two sides on the cross-border corridor.

The Pakistan government announced a new 10-member Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), minus Chawla, following objections from India.

However, the PSGPC has included another known pro-Khalistani leader, Ameer Singh, in the panel.

Brother of known Khalistani leader Bishen Singh, Ameer Singh is said to be among the frontline leaders of the Khalistani movement in Pakistan.

India had objected to the presence of pro-Khalistani elements in the PSGPC, which would coordinate the activities of the Kartarpur corridor, including movement of Sikh pilgrims from India to Narowal in Pakistan.

Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, spent his final days at the site of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Narowal.

The Kartarpur corridor will allow pilgrims to travel from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Narowal.

The corridor will be thrown open on November 2 to mark the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.