E-Paper
SGPC delegation meets Pak envoy over visas for Sikh pilgrims
SGPC chief secretary and member Kulwant Singh Mannan and member Rajinder Singh Mehta, who were part of the delegation, said that for the past few years, the Pakistan high commission had left out a large number of Sikh pilgrims from the SGPC’s list for visas.
A Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) delegation met Pakistan high commission’s charge d’ affaires Saad Ahmad Warraich in New Delhi on Friday, demanding that visas be provided to the entire list of Sikh pilgrims sent by the gurdwara body for visiting gurdwaras in Pakistan.
As per the Nehru-Liaquat Pact, a bilateral agreement signed between India and Pakistan on April 8, 1950, about 3,000 Sikh pilgrims are allowed to visit Sikh shrines in Pakistan on four religious occasions— foundation day of Khalsa Panth (Baisakhi), martyrdom day of fifth Sikh master Guru Arjan Dev, death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and birth anniversary of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak. For these, Punjab has an approved quota of 1,800, 600, 300 and 1,800 visas, respectively.
SGPC chief secretary and member Kulwant Singh Mannan and member Rajinder Singh Mehta, who were part of the delegation, said that for the past few years, the Pakistan high commission had left out a large number of Sikh pilgrims from the SGPC’s list for visas.
The SGPC officials said they asked the Pakistan high commission to issue visas to the maximum number of pilgrims from the SGPC list, keeping in mind the devotion and religious sentiments of Sikh pilgrims towards the historical gurdwaras in Pakistan.
They said a demand has also been made to allow sending Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan as per the amended Nanakshahi calendar approved by Akal Takht on the martyrdom day of the fifth Guru. The letter given to the Pakistan high commission read that the Sikh jatha was sent to the country every year on Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom day. The SGPC observes the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev as per the amended Nanakshahi calendar, while the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) observes this day on the fixed date June 16 every year as per original Nanakshahi calendar. Due to the difference in dates, the SGPC has not been able to send the Jatha of Sikh pilgrims since 2012.
He said that this year the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev is being observed by SGPC and the Sikh Sangat on May 30, 2025, (Jayth Sudi 4) as per the amended Nanakshahi calendar. Therefore, visas should be issued to Indian Sikh pilgrims for the May 30.
