The President of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Bibi Jagir Kaur has established a sub-office at Kurukshetra to assist the Sikhs of Haryana to obtain visas for Pakistan. As per a report in Amar Ujala, the centre which started functioning yesterday will help the Sikhs complete the visa process to visit their holy pilgrims in Pakistan.
A centre set up at the SGPC’s sub-office at Patshahi Chhevin Gurdwara, is the first such in Haryana which will allow the Sikhs to deposit their passports and the visa processing will be taken care of by SGPC officials. Prior to this the Sikhs of Haryana had to fulfill the visa formalities themselves.
As per another report by Tribune, a letter has been issued to the additional secretary, sub-office, Kurukshetra, by the secretary (yatra), SGPC, Amritsar, for the management of jathas and pilgrims to the holy shrine in Pakistan.
Talking about the tedious task, Mangpreet Singh, in-charge of Sikh Mission, Haryana, said “Currently, pilgrims from Haryana approach their deputy commissioners concerned, then after inquiry, the visas are issued, but now the pilgrims would be able to submit their applications and passports in the sub-office. We will approach the deputy commissioners and make further arrangements.”
SGPC President, Bibi Jagir Kaur said that four jathas are sent every year to the holy shrines of Pakistan, in which the visa process is facilitated by the SGPC headquarters in Amritsar. She further informed that a jatha will be sent in June 2021 on the occasion of the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Arjan Dev Ji and the Sikhs are requested to deposit their passport for the same at the earliest.
No functions will be canceled says SGPC President
The SGPC has planned many religious occasions which include Hola Mohalla and a special function on the occasion of 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur ji. However, SGPC President has stated clearly that no religious function will be canceled.
She registered a protest against Roopnagar administration’s idea of asking devotees to come with Covid-19 negative report for the Holla Mohala festival. The administration was later forced to say that the negative report is to be produced only by International pilgrims.
The annual Sikh festival of Hola Mohalla will be celebrated from March 29 to March 31 at Kiratpur Sahib and Anandpur Sahib, which attracts lakhs of devotees and tourists from different parts of the world.
