Amritsar, November 17

A jatha of 2,464 Sikh pilgrims crossed over to Pakistan at the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post here today to celebrate the Gurpurb of Guru Nanak Dev, which falls on Friday.

They have been issued a 10-day-long visa.

Bhagwant Singh Sialka, general secretary of the Shiromani Committee, said of the 1,046 applications submitted at the Pakistan High Commission, 191 were rejected. He requested the Pakistan Government to grant visas liberally.

Sialka presented ‘siropas’ to senior members of the jatha and their leader Rampal Singh, an SGPC member.

During their pilgrimage, the devotees will visit various historic shrines in Pakistan. They will return home on November 26. — TNS