SGPC-led Jatha to Pakistan: 541 Pilgrims Get Visas for Guru Arjan Dev Martyrdom Anniversary

A significant batch of devotees is set to cross the border this week to mark the Shaheedi Gurpurab at historic shrines across the border.

The bustling headquarters of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in Amritsar is seeing a final rush of activity this week. Come Wednesday, June 10, a jatha of 541 pilgrims will depart for Pakistan to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev. This annual pilgrimage is a fixture in the community calendar, allowing devotees to pay obeisance at historic shrines that hold deep significance to the faith.

According to official figures released by the apex religious body, the process began with the submission of 561 passports to the Pakistani embassy in New Delhi. While the mission eventually cleared 541 applicants for the spiritual journey, 20 individuals saw their visa requests turned down. In total, the Pakistan High Commission issued 737 visas for the event, which includes pilgrims from various regions, though the SGPC-coordinated group remains the primary contingent.

Gurinder Singh Mathrewal, Secretary of the SGPC’s Dharam Prachar Committee, confirmed that the approved pilgrims were notified to collect their documents by June 9. The visit, scheduled between June 10 and June 19, will see the jatha traverse various sites linked to the life and legacy of Guru Arjan Dev, returning to India only after the commemorative events conclude.

Diplomatic protocols and the border crossing

The issuance of these visas has been framed within the 1974 Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, an agreement that governs cross-border pilgrimage access. Saad Ahmad Warraich, the Charge d’Affaires of Pakistan to India, officially extended his best wishes to the group, emphasizing his government’s commitment to facilitating these visits.

For the pilgrims, the travel represents far more than a simple journey; it is a chance to connect with the sacred history of their faith. The jatha model has long served as a structured way for the SGPC to manage the logistical and diplomatic requirements of crossing the border, ensuring that devotees can observe the martyrdom anniversary in a dignified, organized fashion.

Why it matters: The bigger picture

These religious exchanges often serve as a rare, soft-power bridge in the otherwise fraught landscape of India-Pakistan relations. While high-level political dialogue between the two nations remains largely frozen, the regular movement of jathas under the 1974 protocol continues to function as a vital channel.

By facilitating access to these historic shrines, both governments maintain a framework of cooperation that survives despite broader geopolitical tensions. For the Sikh community, the ability to observe these anniversaries at the sites where they occurred is a non-negotiable spiritual necessity, making the SGPC’s role in navigating the visa process a cornerstone of their religious administration. The steady, albeit controlled, flow of pilgrims signals that, at least in the sphere of faith, the pathways across the border remain open.