437 Sikh pilgrims granted permission to visit Pakistan for Baisakhi

Under the 1974 'Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines' signed between India and Pakistan, citizens of both countries can visit certain religious shrines.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the top body of the Sikh community, said on Sunday more than 400 pilgrims have been allowed to visit Pakistan for Baisakhi by the ministry of external affairs (MEA). “Four hundred and thirty-seven people have been granted permission to visit Pakistan on the occasion of Baisakhi,” SGPC secretary Mohinder Singh Ahli told news agency ANI.

For the Sikhs, there are four occasions every year—Baisakhi, martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak—on which they can visit religious sites associated with their religion in Pakistan. (PTI)

Ahli also said that pilgrims will be paying a visit to the Nankana Sahib, a holy site for Sikhs, in Pakistan. On April 9, SGPC had organised a two-day camp at its office to conduct Covid-19 tests for the pilgrims scheduled to visit Pakistan. “Pilgrims will visit all major gurdwaras, including Nankana Sahib. All of them have tested negative for Covid,” Ahli was quoted as saying by ANI. “They will leave tomorrow and will return on April 22,” he added.

Under the 1974 'Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines' signed between India and Pakistan, citizens of both countries can visit certain religious shrines. For the Sikhs, there are four occasions every year—Baisakhi, martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak—on which they can visit religious sites associated with their religion in Pakistan.

SGPC spokesperson Kulwinder Singh told HT on Saturday that the body had originally sent 793 names for approval to visit Nankana Sahib, of which 356 have been rejected. “We had sent 793 names for issuing of visas of which 356 were rejected. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) and the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi should approve the maximum number of names sent by the SGPC as it is the apex body of the Sikh community. The names of a large number of pilgrims have been removed, causing a lot of resentment among pilgrims.” he said.

In February, a Sikh Jatha wanted to visit Nankana Sahib to mark the Nankana Sahib massacre centenary but was denied permission to do so by the MEA. The ministry cited the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and said that the visit was not being covered under the ‘Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines’, adding no jatha had gone to Pakistan on that occasion in the past.

"Keeping in view the increasing number of cases of Covid-19 in Pakistan, a threat to the safety and security of a large number of Indian citizens during the visit and the ongoing suspension of cross-border traffic due to Covid-19 pandemic, permission was not accorded to the said Jatha," Union minister of state for home G Kishan Reddy told Parliament on March 16.