Harmeet Singh Kalka welcomes Centre’s nod for Sikh Jatha to visit Sri Nankana Sahib
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, October 3, 2025: Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) President Harmeet Singh Kalka has welcomed the Central Government’s decision to permit the Sikh jatha to travel to Sri Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on the occasion of the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
S. Kalka highlighted that the government had earlier issued a notification restricting the annual pilgrimage. “However, the notification has now been withdrawn,” he said, adding that the DSGMC had persistently engaged with the Centre, including writing to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and personally meeting him to convey the community’s aspirations and religious sentiments tied to the first Guru’s birth anniversary.
He stressed that Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji is revered not only by Sikhs but also by Hindus and Muslims, and any restriction on the sacred yatra deeply hurts religious feelings. “If cricket matches can be held between the two countries, then security arrangements for religious pilgrimages should not be considered an insurmountable challenge,” he remarked.
According to S. Kalka, the Ministry of External Affairs has now approved the annual pilgrimage, allowing around 3,000 devotees to visit Sri Nankana Sahib every year, as in the past. He urged intending pilgrims to complete the required formalities and applications well in time to ensure a smooth journey.
The decision has been widely welcomed across the Sikh community as a reaffirmation of their right to pay obeisance at the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.