Amritsar: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has confirmed that visas have been issued to 290 Sikh pilgrims who will travel to Pakistan to participate in events marking the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and to pay obeisance at historic Sikh shrines across the border.
The pilgrims’ jatha is scheduled to depart from the SGPC headquarters in Amritsar on the morning of June 21, as part of the annual religious observances linked to Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Gurdwara Sri Dera Sahib in Lahore.
SGPC Dharam Prachar Committee Secretary Gurinder Singh Mathrewal said that passports of 302 applicants were submitted to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi for visa processing. Of these, 290 pilgrims received clearance, while 12 applications were not approved.
He added that the Sikh delegation will visit multiple gurdwaras in Pakistan associated with Sikh heritage before participating in the main commemorative ceremony on June 29. The group is expected to return to India on June 30 after completing the pilgrimage.
Mathrewal further advised all approved pilgrims to collect their passports from the SGPC office on June 20 and 21 ahead of departure.
The annual pilgrimage allows Sikh devotees from India to visit key religious and historical sites in Pakistan, including shrines linked with Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire, reinforcing cross-border religious and cultural ties.
