Over 7,500 devotees have submitted passports to visit Nankana Sahib for Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Parkash Purab

Amritsar, 18 August (H.S.): A delegation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), led by its president Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, met senior Pakistan High Commission official Syed Ahmad Warraich in New Delhi on Tuesday and urged the mission to issue visas to the maximum possible number of Sikh pilgrims for the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in November.

Advocate Dhami also submitted a written letter to the Pakistan High Commission in this regard. The delegation included SGPC member Bhai Rajinder Singh Mehta, former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee presidents Paramjit Singh Sarna and Manjit Singh GK, SGPC Secretary Balwinder Singh Kahlwan and Manager Rajinder Singh Ruby.

Dhami said that a large number of Sikh devotees wish to participate in the religious programmes held at Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib on the occasion of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Parkash Purab. He urged the Pakistan High Commission to adopt a liberal approach while issuing visas.

He said that under agreements between the governments of India and Pakistan, the SGPC sends a Sikh jatha to Pakistan every year. Normally, visas are issued to around 1,800 pilgrims recommended by the SGPC.

Dhami said that in recent times, visas have not been granted to some privately organised Sikh groups, while the closure of the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor has further increased the desire among devotees to visit historic Gurdwaras in Pakistan. More than 7,500 Sikh pilgrims have already submitted their passports to the SGPC office for the November 2026 pilgrimage.

He urged the Pakistan High Commission to make special arrangements and issue visas beyond the prescribed quota. Dhami also appealed to the Government of India to effectively take up the matter with Pakistan and facilitate the pilgrimage of more Sikh devotees.

He further urged the Indian government to reopen the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor at the earliest. During the meeting, Advocate Dhami also presented Pakistan High Commission officials with a golden model of Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib and a shawl as a token of respect.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH