Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has received visas for 541 Sikh pilgrims who will travel to Pakistan to pay obeisance at historic shrines on the occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of the fifth Sikh master Guru Arjan Dev.
The ‘jatha’ (batch) of pilgrims will depart from the SGPC headquarters on Wednesday.
SGPC’s dharam prachar committee secretary, Gurinder Singh Mathrewal, said here on Monday that the Sikhs’ apex religious body had submitted passports of 561 pilgrims to the Pakistani embassy in New Delhi. Visas have been granted to 541 pilgrims, while 20 applicants were denied.
He said that the batch will travel to Pakistan to participate in the martyrdom anniversary events.
During the visit, the pilgrims will pay obeisance at various historic Sikh shrines and participate in commemorative events before returning to India on June 19.
Mathrewal said that pilgrims whose visas have been approved should collect their passports from the SGPC office during office hours on June 9.
The Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950 allows Sikh pilgrims to visit Pakistan’s sacred shrines on four key occasions — Baisakhi (Khalsa Panth foundation), Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom day, death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary.
{{/usCountry}}The Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950 allows Sikh pilgrims to visit Pakistan’s sacred shrines on four key occasions — Baisakhi (Khalsa Panth foundation), Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom day, death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary.
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