Sikh Pilgrims Express Disappointment Over Pakistan Cancelling Visas After Long Wait

New Delhi [India]: A bus carrying a group of Sikh pilgrims was flagged off on Friday for the Gurdwara in Pakistan on the occasion of Prakash Gurpurab of Guru Nanak Dev.

The pilgrims expressed disappointment that the visas of several pilgrims were cancelled by the Pakistani government despite keeping the pilgrims waiting for a long without clear communication.

“The jatha is going to celebrate the 554th anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev,” a jatha leader told the reporters. “The pilgrims will visit Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib. The visit will be over on December 4 and they will return to India the next day.

The bus was flagged off from Gurdwara Rakab Ganj here in the national capital. Several pilgrims also went directly.

“Despite several requests, the Pakistani government kept us waiting till the last day and didn’t give a clear number of how many pilgrims would be given visas. The pilgrims have so much devotion and cancelling their visas at the last moment really hurt their religious sentiments,” another Jatha leader complained.

The pilgrims urged the Pakistani government to give preference to the applications for religious visas.

“We urge the Pakistan government that at least the religious visas should be granted to the pilgrims who wish to go to Pakistan. Delhi Gurdwara Committee and Shiromani Gurdwara Committee are two bodies working on it. The religious visas should be given preference,” another pilgrim said.