Pak high commission issues 3,800 visas to Sikh pilgrims
NEW DELHI: Pakistan has issued over 3,800 visas to Sikh pilgrims to take part in Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary celebrations at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib from November 21 to 30.
The Pakistan high commission in New Delhi claimed this is the largest number of visas issued in recent years to Sikh pilgrims for Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary celebrations, well beyond the maximum number of 3000, mutually agreed between the two countries for this event.
The 3,800 visas are in addition to those issued to Sikh pilgrims participating in the event from other countries, said a release issued by the high commission. Pakistan high commissioner Sohail Mahmood said this is a “special gesture” by the Pakistan government in view of the 550th anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak commencing this year. “We extend profound felicitations to our brothers and sisters celebrating this auspicious occasion and wish all yatrees a spiritually fulfilling yatra”, he said. “The issuance of pilgrimage visas to Sikh pilgrims is in line with the Government of Pakistan’s efforts for promoting visits to religious shrines and peopleto-people interactions. This also reflects the commitment of the Government of Pakistan to faithfully implement the bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines,” the high commission release said. “Pakistan remains committed to preserving sacred religious places and extending all possible facilitation for the visiting pilgrims of all faiths,” it said.
600 DEVOTEES DENIED VISAS
AMRITSAR: Pakistan has denied pilgrim visas to around 600 Sikh devotees from India, who wanted to attend the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak at gurdwara Nankana Sahib, where the first Sikh guru was born.
“Every year, on the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, a large group of Sikh devotees go for pilgrimage in the Nankana Sahib gurdwara. This year also, we had applied 1,630 visas through the SGPC, of which 403 were cancelled. This is disappointing for the devotees,” said Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief secretary Roop Singh said on Tuesday.
President of Bhai Mardana Yadgari Kirtan Darbar Society, Harpal Singh Bhullar, said, “We had applied for 570 visas but Pakistan has given visas to only 500 members of our society.”
He said Khalra Mission Committee had applied for 530 visas, out of which 65 were rejected. “There are many more small societies which had applied for the visa but several visa pleas have been rejected,” he added. Harvinder Singh Sarna, former president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), said, “As many as 60 Sikhs from Delhi had applied visas but Pakistan allotted visas to only 50 Sikhs.” Dr Roop Singh said Pakistan government should have given visas to all Sikh pilgrims due to the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. Of Panja Pyaras who were to lead the jatha, three pyaras have also been denied the visas. SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal has also condemned the denial.