Saka Panja Sahib centenary: SGPC team meets Pak High Commissioner, seeks visas for pilgrims

A delegation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday met Pakistan's High Commissioner in Delhi and demanded visas for a maximum number of Sikh pilgrims willing to attend a congregation to mark the centenary of Saka Panja Sahib.

The delegation met Pakistani High Commissioner Aftab Hasan Khan and handed over a letter written by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief.

The SGPC said the centenary of the 'Saka' (massacre) is being marked by the SGPC at a large scale on October 30 this year.

The SGPC told the high commissioner that it wants to organise a large congregation at the place where the massacre took place in 1922 to offer tributes to the martyrs.

It also sought permission for an advance delegation of the SGPC to visit Pakistan so that preparations and complete arrangements for centenary congregations could be made in time in coordination with the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. The SGPC said that although special 'jathas' (groups) of pilgrims visit Sikh shrines located in Pakistan every year on four different occasions, including 'Gurpurb' of Guru Nanak Dev, the community members wishes to visit shrines even on other days.

SGPC general secretary Karnail Singh Panjoli said the Pakistan High Commissioner assured the delegation that maximum visas will be granted to pilgrims for the occasion.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)