Pakistan cancels visa to 58 Sikhs pilgrims ahead of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death anniversary

Pakistan on Wednesday cancelled visas to 58 Sikh pilgrims who wanted to go there to observe the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had sent 282 applications for visas and only 224 visas were granted, while 58 were cancelled.

The pilgrims will be visiting Pakistan tomorrow by a special train from Attari railway station. Sikhs, whose visa were not approved, protested outside the SGPC office. They demanded that there should not be a visa system. Within the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, thousands of pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals and occasions every year.