Amritsar, April 7:
Names of 195 pilgrims from the list of 900 sent by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to the Centre government have been deducted for the pilgrimage to Sikh shrines in Pakistan on the occasion of Khalsa Sajna Diwas (Vaisakhi), said SGPC media secretary S. Kulwinder Singh Ramdas.
S. Ramdas said that SGPC had sent passports of 900 Sikh pilgrims for granting visas but only 705 have been granted the same while 195 names are deducted.
S. Ramdas said that SGPC is the apex body of the Sikh community and therefore, the Centre government and Pakistan’s embassy in Delhi should approve the maximum number of visas sent by the SGPC. He said the names of a large number of pilgrims have been deducted which has caused resentment in their minds. He said the maximum number of visas should be granted for paying obeisance and visiting the departed shrines.