Sikh devotees from J&K leave for Pak

JJ CORRESPONDENT

Jammu, Apr 11: As many as 98 Sikh devotees on Monday evening left for Pakistan from here to pay obeisance at various Gurudwaras on the occasion of Baisakhi festival falling on April 14.
The Sikh Sangat left at 9 pm from Gurdwara Baba Fateh Singh, Gandhi Nagar.
Shamsher Singh Chauhalvi, In-charge of the yatra section, District Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, who flagged off the batch, said, “out of total 105 devotees whose names were cleared by the administration, 98 left for Pakistan.”
He said that the devotees will visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurudwara Nankana Sahib, Gurudwara Dera Sahib and other famous Gurdwaras in Pakistan.
Chauhalvi added that a total 118 devotees had applied for the visa out of which 13 were rejected and the names of 105 comprising 60 males and 45 females were cleared.
“Out of 105 devotees from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, who have got the visa to visit the historic Gurdwaras in Pakistan, only 98 were flagged off this evening; those left out cancelled visit due to some personal reasons,” he added.
On April 12, he said that the devotees after being joined by other Sikh devotees from different parts of the country will leave for Pakistan via Wagah Border.
“The Sikh Sangat could not visit Pakistan in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic,” he said.
A government official said that the clearance was sanctioned to the names of 105 devotees out of 118 applicants.
The ‘Sikh Sangat’ will return to Jammu and Kashmir on April 21, he added. UNI