SGPC president crosses Wagah to schedule Sikh procession

Wagah (Amritsar), May 20: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar and secretary Dilmegh Singh today crossed over to Pakistan through the Wagah joint checkpost to participate in a meeting called by Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Bishan Singh.

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Harvinder Singh Sarna along with his two-member team of Amarjit Singh and Manjit Singh also went to Lahore to attend the meeting slated for today to chalk out the programme of religious procession to be taken out in connection with the martyrdom day of the fifth Sikh Guru Arjun Dev.

Despite the fact that both the Sikh Committees-- SGPC and SGPC--had chalked out separate programmes for the religious processions to Lahore, today's meeting has become more significant as there was no indication from Pakistan government that which of the two committees would be allowed to take out the procession from Amritsar to Lahore or Delhi to Lahore, an official spokesman for the SGPC here said.

DSGMC has planned to start the 'nagar kirtan' on June nine while the Amritsar-based SGPC has planned the religious procession on June 14 so that it would timely reach Lahore to mark the anniversary falling on June 16.

The meeting, which would be presided by Pakistan minister of religious affairs Mohd Alhaq would also be attended by various Sikh organisations from abroad, besides the Pakistan Wakf Board chairman Lt Gen (retd) Zulfikar Ali, a SGPC press release here said. The SGPC president, who was on his maiden visit to Pakistan after assuming the office, also discussed in detail with the Pak authorities regarding renovation work of the other historical Gurdwaras, the SGPC spokesman said, adding that the Committee had already decided to send a 'jatha' of over 10,000 Sikhs to Lahore on this occasion.

The SGPC president told newsmen before crossing over to Pakistan that his meeting with the PGPC officials would yield positive results and hoped that it would also help to strengthen the confidence and faith between the two committees for the betterment of the religious shrines situated on both sides of the border.

UNI