India-Pakistan tensions: SGPC calls off this year's pilgrimage marking Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death anniversary
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "India-Pakistan tensions: SGPC calls off this year's pilgrimage marking Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death anniversary")
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Photograph: (Wikimedia Commons)
Every year, the SGPC organises religious visits to various historic gurdwaras in Pakistan, including Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, where the 19th-century Sikh ruler’s samadhi (memorial) lies. This year’s trip, scheduled around the June 29 anniversary, has now been officially called off.
In light of the growing tension between India and Pakistan, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday (Jun 17) announced that this year no Sikh pilgrim group would travel to Pakistan for the annual observance of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death anniversary.
Every year, the SGPC organises religious visits to various historic gurdwaras in Pakistan, including Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, where the 19th-century Sikh ruler’s samadhi (memorial) lies. This year’s trip, scheduled around the June 29 anniversary, has now been officially called off.
What did the SGPC say?
Speaking to ANI, SGPC official Harbhajan Singh Vakta explained that the decision has been taken in light of the rising tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 25 civilians were killed by terrorists.
"Every year, the SGPC sends a group of Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan for religious visits. One of these visits is for Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death anniversary, which is observed there on June 29. This year, we sent a batch of passports to Delhi for clearance to go to Pakistan. But now, SGPC has decided not to send the group. Our secretary officially announced this decision yesterday. Due to the current situation between the two countries, the group will not be sent this time," Vakta said.
He added that the SGPC will return the passports to applicants after June 20. "People can collect their passports from our travel department after that date," he said.
Trending Stories
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
This development comes amid rising diplomatic and security concerns as the terror attack and subsequent military actions along the border have strained bilateral relations, prompting tighter security protocols around cross-border travel.
Last year, Pakistan issued 509 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India for the same occasion. A group of 317 devotees, led by SGPC member Khushvinder Singh Bhatia, had visited Lahore to pay their respects.
Apart from Indian pilgrims, Gurdwara Dera Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan draw Sikh visitors from around the world each year. The decision to suspend this year's trip is likely to disappoint many in the community who consider these visits deeply spiritual.
Who was Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Known as the "Sher-e-Punjab," Maharaja Ranjit Singh was born in Gujranwala, which is now in Pakistan, on November 13, 1780, and passed away in Lahore on June 27, 1839. He ruled the Sikh Empire for forty years.
