The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has received visas for 290 Sikh pilgrims who will travel to Pakistan to participate in the observance of the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and pay obeisance at historic Sikh shrines across the border.
The pilgrims’ jatha is scheduled to leave for Pakistan from the SGPC headquarters in Amritsar on the morning of June 21. The visit is being organised in connection with the annual commemorative events of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Gurdwara Sri Dera Sahib in Lahore.
Sharing details, SGPC Dharam Prachar Committee Secretary Gurinder Singh Mathrewal said passports of 302 pilgrims had been submitted to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi for visa processing. Out of these, 290 pilgrims were granted visas, while 12 applicants did not receive travel clearance.
He said the visiting Sikh delegation will pay obeisance at various gurdwaras in Pakistan before participating in the main anniversary events of Maharaja Ranjit Singh on June 29. The jatha is scheduled to return to India on June 30 after completing the pilgrimage.
Mathrewal advised pilgrims whose visas have been approved to collect their passports from the SGPC office on June 20 and 21.
The annual pilgrimage to Pakistan enables Sikh devotees to visit several shrines associated with Sikh history and heritage, including those linked to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire.
