Guru Nanak Dev’s 555th birth anniversary: Denial of visas by Pak to Sikh pilgrims willing to visit Nankana Sahib resented

A large number of Indian pilgrims who wanted to visit the Janam Asthan, Sri Nankana Sahib, to celebrate the upcoming 555th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev were a dejected lot as the Pakistan authorities denied them visas.

The occasion falls on November 15 and is attended by thousands of devotees from all over the world at Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the Sikhism’s founder.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has expressed resentment over the ‘mass denial’ of visas to pilgrims.

The SGPC had sent applications of 2,244 pilgrims for visa to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, out of which 1,481 pilgrims were not granted visas.

SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said it was for the first that such a large number of SGPC-sponsored devotees were denied visas. “The Pakistan government has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community this time without citing any reasons. Even the quota of SGPC’s share was overlooked. We have decided to send a delegation to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to take up the visa-related issues and the criteria of rejection. There has to be clarity on it so that things could be streamlined beforehand,” he said.

On the other hand, a post shared by the Pakistan High Commission on X reads, “The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued over 3,000 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji to be held in Pakistan from November 14-23, 2024.”

As per the bilateral Nehru-Liaquat Pact signed on April 8, 1950, which was aimed to guarantee the rights of minorities in both the countries, post Partition, about 3,000 Sikh pilgrims are allowed to visit the Sikh shrines in Pakistan on four religious occasions — the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the martyrdom day of fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev, the foundation day of the Khalsa Panth (Baisakhi) and the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

SGPC secretary Partap Singh said as per the norms, the SGPC reserves the maximum quota of sending 1,800 pilgrims and the rest of 1,200 have been divided among other Sikh organisations, including the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (DSGMC).

“This time, only 763 visa applications were accepted. This was not justified by any calculation,” he said.