Amritsar: In a major development for the Sikh community, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has granted permission for Sikh pilgrims to visit Pakistan to pay obeisance at historic gurdwaras during the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev Ji and the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
As per directions issued by Sri Akal Takht Sahib, a total of 1,000 pilgrims will undertake the visit from June 10 to June 18 to mark Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s Shaheedi Gurpurab. Of these, 600 pilgrims will be nominated by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), while 200 each will be sent by Sikh bodies from Delhi and Haryana along with other Sikh organisations.
For the observance of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death anniversary, scheduled from June 21 to June 30, permission has been granted to 500 devotees. The group will include 300 pilgrims from the SGPC, 100 from the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), and 100 from Haryana and other Sikh organisations.
DSGMC General Secretary Jagdeep Singh Kahlon said the approved travel schedule was finalised following consultations between DSGMC President Paramjit Singh Chandok and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, in accordance with the directives of Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
Kahlon also referred to June 1984 as a “dark chapter” in Sikh history, stating that the military operation carried out at Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Sri Harmandir Sahib, which also affected innocent devotees, remains an indelible blot on the then Congress government.
The approval is expected to facilitate religious travel for hundreds of Sikh devotees who wish to visit revered shrines in Pakistan and participate in commemorative events linked to two significant occasions in Sikh history.
