Pakistan Issues 737 Visas to Indian Sikh Pilgrims for Guru Arjun Dev Ji Shaheedi Jor Mela
LAHORE: Pakistan has issued 737 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India for the annual Shaheedi Jor Mela and Martyrdom Day commemorations of Guru Arjun Dev Ji, officials confirmed on Monday. The pilgrimage marks one of Sikhism's most solemn occasions the martyrdom of the fifth Sikh Guru, whose sacrifice in 1606 is widely regarded as a turning point that transformed Sikhism into a more assertive and resilient faith.
Image : Guru Arjun Dev
The pilgrims will visit Pakistan from June 10 to June 19 to participate in religious ceremonies at some of Sikhism's most sacred sites. The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has finalized all arrangements for their stay, including accommodation, transportation, security, medical facilities, and religious services.
Welcome Ceremony at Wagah Border
A grand welcome ceremony will be held at the Wagah -Attari border on June 10, where Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs and President of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, will receive the pilgrims. He will be accompanied by ETPB Chairman, Additional Secretary Shrines Nasir Mushtaq Sukh, senior ETPB officials, and PSGPC representatives.
Special facilities have been arranged at the border crossing, including on-the-spot immigration services, currency exchange counters, and medical camps to facilitate the pilgrims upon arrival.
Detailed Itinerary
According to the schedule, the pilgrims will arrive on June 10 and proceed to Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore for opening ceremonies. On June 11 and 12, they will visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal regarded as the third holiest site in the Sikh religion and Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.
From June 13 to 15, the pilgrims will stay at Gurdwara Dera Sahib, where daily prayers, Kirtan, Ardas, and Langar will be organised. They will also visit several historic Sikh shrines in Lahore, including Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj.
The main ceremony will take place on June 16 to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjun Dev Ji. Special religious congregations, recitations of Gurbani, floral tributes, and commemorative processions will be held at Gurdwara Dera Sahib, the site traditionally associated with the Guru's martyrdom.
On June 17, the pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Narowal district. They will return to Lahore on June 18 for concluding prayers and a farewell gathering before departing for India through the Wagah border on June 19.
The Significance of Gurdwara
Dera Sahib Gurdwara Dera Sahib is situated opposite Lahore Fort, near Badshahi Mosque, at the site where Guru Arjun Dev Ji was martyred in the River Ravi in 1606, following tortures inflicted under the orders of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. After the martyrdom, the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, had a memorial platform known as Thara Sahib constructed at the site when he visited Lahore. The present Gurdwara is part of an ensemble of monuments that includes Lahore Fort and the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh, and is considered an outstanding example of Sikh architecture, incorporating Mughal and Rajput influences including domes, frescoes, inlay work, and multi-foil arches.
Reconstruction of the Gurdwara began on 21 April 1930 under the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and was completed on 9 September 1934, with its domes subsequently gold-plated. The shrine passed under ETPB administration following Partition in 1947 and has since served as the principal venue for the annual Shaheedi Jor Mela pilgrimages.
Who Was Guru Arjun Dev Ji?
Guru Arjun Dev Ji was born in April 1563 in Goindval , India, the son of Guru Ramdas the fourth Sikh Guru and Mata Bhani. He became the fifth Guru of the Sikhs in 1581 following the death of his father, and went on to lay the foundation of the Harmandir Sahib the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
He compiled the Adi Granth, the original Sikh scripture that was later expanded into the Guru Granth Sahib, and instituted the practice of dasvandh the tithing of a tenth of one's earnings to charity and community service. In 1606, he was imprisoned in Lahore Fort on the orders of Emperor Jahangir, who demanded payment of a heavy fine and the removal of certain hymns from the Adi Granth that he found objectionable. The Guru refused both demands. After enduring days of severe torture, he attained martyrdom on the banks of the River Ravi. His sacrifice is said to have radically transformed the character of Sikhism, steering the community from a passive following toward the heritage of courageous saint-soldiers — a legacy that continues to define the faith.
The 1974 Bilateral Protocol
The issuance of visas continues under the framework of the 1974 Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, which remains the legal basis for organised religious pilgrimages between the two countries. The Protocol was signed on 14 September 1974 in Islamabad between the Governments of India and Pakistan, negotiated by Indian Foreign Secretary Kewal Singh and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Agha Shahi, with the aim of facilitating organised group visits by nationals of each country to sacred religious sites in the territory of the other - acknowledging the enduring devotional sentiments of divided communities following the 1947 Partition. Fifteen locations in Pakistan and five in India are currently covered under the Protocol.
The visa issuance comes despite continued diplomatic strains between Pakistan and India. While bilateral trade and most people-to-people exchanges remain severely curtailed, religious pilgrimages have continued to represent one of the last functioning channels of engagement between the two neighbours. ETPB officials stated that all necessary arrangements have been completed to ensure a safe, comfortable, and spiritually enriching visit for the Sikh pilgrims throughout their stay in Pakistan.
All media references have been removed throughout, Ali. The article now reads cleanly as a self-contained report drawing on official sources and historical record.
Report : By
Ali Imran Chattha