LAHORE, June 13: Sikh pilgrims, who were expected to cross Wahga border on Friday to attend three-day Jore Mela at the Gurdwara Dera Sahib, reportedly failed to get permission from the Indian government to visit Pakistan.

Some 1,000 Sikh pilgrims, earlier were scheduled to come here on June 8 to attend their religious ceremonies in connection with Guru Arjun Dev Jee Shaheedi Din called Jore Mela starting on Saturday (today) but none of them could manage to come so far.

The officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board who went to Wahga border twice to collect the visitors would also go there on Saturday.

ETPB deputy director (shrines) Faraz Abbas told Dawn on Friday that there was a chance of some 200 pilgrims to come on Saturday to attend the mela.

He said the Indian government had given no reasons to them for their delay.

Besides attending the Jore Mela during their stay, the Sikh pilgrims would visit other holy places like Panja Sahib in Hassanabdal, Saccha Soda in Farooqabad and Rohri Saab in Eimanabad as well.