India News | Pakistan Gives Visas to 855 Pilgrims to Visit Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, Denies to 191: SGPC

Amritsar, Nov 13 (PTI) Pakistan has given visas to 855 Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Nankana Sahib there on Guru Nanak Dev's birth anniversary but has denied the permission to 191 others, the SGPC said on Saturday.

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Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Bibi Jagir Kaur said the apex gurdwara body had sent passports of 1,046 pilgrims to the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi, which gave visa to 855 pilgrims but denied it to 191 others.

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Terming the denial of visas to some pilgrims as “unfortunate”, she said, “Every pilgrim longs to visit the holy shrines of the Sikh community in Pakistan and when they do not get visas, their religious sentiments are”

“Every pilgrim should get a visa so that the maximum number of pilgrims could pay obeisance at holy places,” she added.

A group of Sikh pilgrims is scheduled to depart on November 17 to participate in the ceremonies to be held at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, also known as Gurdwara Janam Asthan at Nankana Sahib near Lahore in Pakistan's Punjab on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru.

Kaur said for the convenience of pilgrims, a free camp for COVID-19 testing is being organised at Teja Singh Samundri Hall on November 14 and 15.

It is mandatory for every pilgrim going to Pakistan to carry a COVID-19 negative report issued 72 hours before departure.

In addition, every pilgrim should have been got both doses of the Covid vaccine, she said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)