A 'jatha' of SGPC on Friday departed for Pakistan to participate in a programme to mark the centenary of the 'Shaheedi Saka Panja Sahib' event on October 30.

The event took place on October 30, 1922 at Hasan Abdal railway station, close to the sacred shrine of Panja Sahib. Several Sikhs from Panja Sahib had blocked the railway track to stop a train carrying Sikh prisoners from Amritsar to Attock (now in Pakistan) as they wanted to serve them food.

When the station master refused to stop the train, some of them sat in the middle of the track. The driver brought the train to a screeching halt but 11 Sikhs were injured. Two of them succumbed to injuries later and have been hailed as martyrs of Saka Panja Sahib'.

Prominent among those who left for Pakistan included Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, former president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Gobind Singh Longowal and head 'granthi' of Akal Takht Giani Malkit Singh.

Speaking to media before the departure of 'jatha', Longowal said the SGPC is jointly organising the event with the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) on October 29 and 30.

The centenary events and congregation of Saka Panja Sahib hold great importance, therefore, governments should grant visas to pilgrims with open heart. Rejecting visas to pilgrim members of special 'jatha' on this occasion is not good, he added.

Notably, the SGPC had sought visas for 157 pilgrims, but got the same for 117 people.

Apart from visiting Gurdwara Panja Sahib, the 'jatha' will also pay obeisance at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Dehra Sahib, Lahore, and return to India on November 1, said a SGPC official.