No Sikh group to Pakistan for Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Death Anniversary this year: SGPC
Amritsar (Punjab) [India], June 17 (ANI): Stressing the current situation between India and Pakistan, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) announced on Tuesday that no Sikh pilgrim group will travel to the neighbouring country this year to observe Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death anniversary.
Speaking to ANI, SGPC official Harbhajan Singh Vakta said the decision was made due to the current diplomatic situation between India and Pakistan, following the April 22 Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, conducted by the Indian Armed Forces on May 7.
'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.
'We had sent 249 passport applications to Pakistan for this visit. Since the trip is now cancelled, these passports will be returned after June 20. People can collect their passports from our travel department after that date,' Vakta said.
Last year, Pakistan issued 509 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to attend the Maharaja Ranjeet Singh's death anniversary. Led by interim committee member Khushvinder Singh Bhatia, the delegation, comprised of 317 pilgrims, was sent for this spiritual voyage.
In addition to Sikh pilgrims from all over the world, including India, tourists from other countries visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.
Maharaja Ranjeet Singh was the first king of the Sikh Empire in the 19th century. He is popularly known as 'Sher-e-Punjab.'
Maharaja Ranjit Singh was born on November 13, 1780, in Budrukhan, or Gujranwala (now in Pakistan), and died on June 27, 1839, in Lahore (now in Pakistan).
According to Sikh beliefs, he ruled Punjab for 40 years. It is said that Maharaja Ranjit Singh fought against the Mughals and also conquered Lahore. Also, religious tolerance was promoted during his time, as many important ministers of his were Muslims. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Pakistan ‘continues to strengthen its anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing system': FATF
Pakistan 'continues to work with its Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-style regional body, Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), to continue to strengthen its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing system', as set out in October 2022, according to the global money laundering and terror financing watchdog. The anti-terror financing body, however, refused to comment on the specific decisions taken against Pakistan in its latest meeting, citing confidentiality, in response to a query sent by The Indian Express. On Monday, the FATF in a statement had condemned the 'brutal terrorist attack' in Pahalgam on April 22, noting that such attacks cannot occur 'without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters'. When asked whether the FATF has decided to review Pakistan, through consensus of its members, on its compliance with terror investigations, the terror financing watchdog said FATF's meetings are confidential. '…so we are unable to comment beyond the decisions communicated at the end of last week's meeting,' it said in its response to this newspaper. With the FATF planning to come out with an analysis of terrorist financing — likely to be released in a month — it has compiled cases provided by its global network. The watchdog is learnt to have taken note of 'state-sponsored terrorism' in the upcoming report in an oblique reference to Pakistan, sources said. Pakistan is also likely to face a review of its legal conviction process linked to terror investigations, sources said. If it happens, this could mean a greater scrutiny of the country's deficiency in terror case probes that was also flagged at the time of Pakistan's removal from the FATF's grey list three years ago. When Pakistan was taken off the grey list in October 2022, it was kept in the enhanced follow-up category, following 'partial compliance' with a recommendation (R.38) related to deficiency regarding the coverage of predicate offences. The recommendation relates to mutual legal assistance (MLA) for freezing and confiscation of proceeds of crime, mainly when crime has happened elsewhere and proceeds are in the relevant country (Pakistan in this case). It requires countries to have authority to take expeditious action in response to requests by other countries to identify, freeze and seize property laundered, proceeds from money laundering or predicate offences. Though Pakistan had issued guidelines for MLA, FATF had noted the deficiencies in its scheme for providing assistance to other countries. While the FATF statement on Monday did not name any country, India had earlier stated its intent to take up terror funding charges against Pakistan to make a case for putting it back in the FATF 'grey list' in response to the Pahalgam attack in April. Twenty-six people were killed in the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor, striking terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which was followed by three days of military confrontation between India and Pakistan. The FATF's statement on Monday came after its plenary meeting last week, where Delhi is learnt to have flagged Pakistan's terror network and the targeted attacks against India. 'Terrorist attacks kill, maim and inspire fear around the world. The FATF notes with grave concern and condemns the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025. This, and other recent attacks, could not occur without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters,' the FATF said. 'The FATF will soon release a comprehensive analysis of terrorist financing, compiling cases provided by our global network. It will also host a webinar to help public and private sectors understand the risks and stay alert to emerging threats,' it said.
United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
Chiefs' Chintan conclave begins, focus on Op Sindoor & Army transformation
New Delhi, June 17 (UNI) The two-day Chiefs' Chintan, a structured interaction, between the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Upendra Dwivedi, and former Chiefs of the Army Staff (CsOAS) commenced here on Tuesday. Held in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, the conclave is aimed to provide a platform to leverage the institutional knowledge and experience of the former Army chiefs, a Defence Ministry statement said. General Dwivedi welcomed the former chiefs and stressed the importance of their continued engagement in shaping the ongoing transformation and future direction of the Indian Army. A key highlight of the event was a comprehensive operational briefing on Operation Sindoor, including the synergised conduct of operations with the Indian Air Force and Navy. The operation's execution, strategic impact and jointmanship model were presented in detail to provide contextual understanding and invite insights from the former chiefs. The former chiefs were also briefed on the induction of niche technologies and modernisation initiatives aimed at enhancing operational capabilities. The former Army chiefs shared insights and recommendations contributing to the Indian Army's ongoing efforts towards capability enhancement and organisational reform. The interaction reaffirms the continuity of leadership and collective commitment to keep Indian Army future-ready. UNI RBE SS
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Iran airspace closure: passengers experience flight delays, cancellations
The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran has started to take a toll on air passengers with flight services from the country to West Asian destinations affected by the closure of Iran airspace. Some flights to West Asian destinations from airports in Kerala were disrupted and some were cancelled on Tuesday. Two Air India Express flights operating to Kerala — Abu Dhabi- Thiruvananthapuram and Sharjah- Kozhikode — were cancelled. Further, there were hours-long delay in the departure and arrival of many flights heading to and from the State to West Asian destinations. Speaking to The Hindu, a senior airline source says, in fact, the airlines heading to European countries and the United States from India have been using the Iranian airspace. Earlier, a good number of these flights were using Pakistan and Afghanistan airspace. However, these flights started overflying Iran soon after Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian carriers on April 24 amid escalating tension following the Pahalgam terror attack. Now, with the closure of the Iranian airspace, these flights have switched over to Muscat airspace, taking a longer route to avoid the strife-torn region. With the carriers using the Muscat airspace, which has been used by airlines operating from southern India to reach West Asian countries, the airspace over Muscat is now choked with flights. With the airspace being congested, there have been hours-long delays in getting air traffic control clearance for take-off even after passengers boarded the flights. This had a cascading effect leading to delays and cancellations of flights, says a senior officer with Kuwait Airways. 'We don't know how long it will take, and now the airlines are operating through this region based on a daily contingency plan,' he says. The airlines have also issued advisories alerting passengers to flight delays and rerouting due to the escalating tension in the region. Airports in Dubai confirmed on Monday that passengers may experience significant delays and cancellations due to the disruptions caused by the airspace closure over Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Dubai airport authorities have also urged travellers to check with their airlines for the latest flight updates.
