Demand to issue visas to maximum number of pilgrims as per list sent by SGPC
Amritsar : A delegation of SGPC today met Pakistan High Commission’s Charge d’ Affaires Saad Ahmad Warraich in Delhi and demanded that the entire list of the Sikh pilgrims sent by the SGPC for visiting Gurdwaras in Pakistan should be given visas and that the Sikh Jatha should be allowed to be sent as per the approved Nanakshahi calendar on the occasion of the martyrdom day of Sri Guru Arjan Dev. The SGPC delegation included its chief secretary and member Kulwant Singh Mannan, member Bhai Rajinder Singh Mehta, secretary Partap Singh and assistant secretary Jaswinder Singh.
Sharing information in this regard, Kulwant Singh Mannan and Bhai Rajinder Singh Mehta said that in the past, a large number of visas of the Sikh pilgrims from the list sent by the SGPC to Pakistan High Commission were deducted, regarding which a meeting has been held with Pakistan’s officials today. It has been said that the SGPC is a representative organization of Sikhs, which sends Jathas every year to visit various Gurdwaras in Pakistan on the occasion of Khalsa Sajna Diwas (Vaisakhi), martyrdom day of Sri Guru Arjan Dev, barsi (death anniversary) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Parkash Gurpurb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev. It is said that for these Jathas, the Punjab state has an approved quota of 1800, 600, 300 and 1800 visas, respectively. However, for the last few years, the entire list of Sikh pilgrims sent by the SGPC is not given visas by the Pakistan High Commission and a large number of names are deducted from the SGPC’s list.
The SGPC officials said that today this matter was raised with the officials of the Pakistan High Commission and it was demanded that visas be issued to the maximum number of pilgrims from the SGPC list keeping in mind the devotion and religious sentiments of the Sikh pilgrims towards the historical Gurdwaras in Pakistan. They said that a demand has also been made to allow sending the jatha of Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan as per the Nanakshahi calendar approved by Sri Akal Takht Sahib for the occasion of the martyrdom day of the fifth Guru, Sri Guru Arjan Dev. The letter given to the Pakistan High Commission said that the Sikh jatha was sent to Pakistan every year on the occasion of the martyrdom day of the fifth Guru. The SGPC is observes the martyrdom day of Sri Guru Arjan Dev every year as per the Nanakshahi calendar approved by Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest temporal authority of the Sikh community, while the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) observe this day on the fixed date June 16 every year. Due to the difference in dates, the SGPC has not been able to send the Jatha of Sikh pilgrims since 2012. Due to the difference in dates, the Pakistan High Commission does not issue visas to the list of Sikh pilgrims sent by SGPC in line with the approved Nanakshahi Calendar, which hurts the religious sentiments of Indian Sikh pilgrims. He said that this year the martyrdom day of Sri Guru Arjan Dev is being observed by SGPC and the Sikh Sangat on May 30, 2025 (Jayth Sudi 4) as per the Nanakshahi Calendar approved by Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Therefore, visas should be issued to Indian Sikh pilgrims for the date May 30, 2025, so that the Sikh jatha can visit Gurdwara Dehra Sahib, Lahore and pay obeisance to the fifth Guru on his martyrdom day.
