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Amritsar, Punjab: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will hand over a memorandum to Pakistan Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif after he pays obeisance at the Golden Temple here on Sunday.
Disclosing this to the media here on Saturday, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar stated that in the memorandum, they would inform Shahbaz that the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi often pruned down the list of pilgrims sent by the SGPC through the Indian union home ministry. This list, along with passports of pilgrims, is sent in advance to the high commission for grant of visas, so that those interested can undertake a pilgrimage to Sikh historic shrines in Pakistan.
“Each time, whether it’s Baisakhi, Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary or any other occasion, a number of pilgrims are not granted visas by the Pakistan high commission. We will bring this matter to Sharif ’s notice,” Makkar said.
Makkar is hopeful that the Pakistan Punjab CM would take up the matter with his elder brother, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Another issue which the SGPC will highlight in the memorandum is the management of Sikh historical shrines. The SGPC is keen to undertake the repair and renovation of certain shrines in Pakistan, but for this, it requires the permission of the Pakistan government.
With more and more Sikhs visiting their shrines in Pakistan every year, the SGPC is also keen that more serais (rest houses) should be built to accommodate pilgrims.
Source: HT
Every country rejects some visa applications. You should not expect a 100% acceptance rate from Pakistan either, just as Pakistanis don’t expect 100% of visa applications to India to be accepted.
The better answer would be to simply abolish visa restrictions for east punjabis over the age of 60, and to grant special permits to east punjabis living near the Pakistani border so they can shop and do business in border towns like kasur and Lahore.