Sikh pilgrims stranded in Lahore on Baisakhi amid clashes in Pakistan msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
1022
GS Paul
Amritsar, April 12
A jatha comprising 815 pilgrims under different banners on Monday left for Pakistan on the occasion of Khalsa Sajna Divas (Baisakhi) through Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post.
The main event has been scheduled at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal on April 14.
The Pakistan High Commission had issued visa to 1,100 pilgrims for the occasion. In the wake of the Covid threat, the National Command Operation Centre of Pakistan has put a ban on large religious gatherings. The Pak Sikh families were told to avoid their physical presence at Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib.
Many Indian pilgrims too were disappointed after they were denied visa by the Ministry of External Affairs. SGPC had submitted 793 applications out of which 437 got visa.
Pakistan government yet to decide on the fate of visiting pilgrims on Vaisakhi msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
To commemorate 550
th Parkash Gurpurb (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Sahib, Pakistan government opened a corridor in November, 2019 for the followers of Guru Nanak, who are based in Indian union, to provide them visa-free access to the historic gurdwara. The corridor links the Gurdwara which is four kms away from India-Pakistan international border in Pakistan territory, to historic Sikh town Dera Baba Nanak which is situated along the border in the territory administered by India.
In view of the Covid-19 outbreak that has engulfed the entire world, the home ministry of India suspended the pilgrimage through the corridor from March 16 last year. On the other hand, all the worship places including Kartarpur Sahib had been closed to the public in Pakistan as well due to the outbreak.
:dateline:After receiving a formal invitation from the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for attending Vaisakhi celebrations at Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib, the apex Sikh body Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has begun preparations to send a jatha of Sikhs to Pakistan.
In a press note