Pak Issues 2,200 Visas to India’s Sikh Pilgrims

NEW DELHI (IANS) – The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued over 2,200 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the annual Baisakhi celebrations.

The issuance of visas is covered under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, through which a large number of Sikh pilgrims travel from India to Pakistan to observe various religious festivals.

The statement from Pakistan’s High Commission said that the issuance of pilgrimage visas was in line with the commitment to fully implement the bilateral protocol between the two countries.

“Pakistan takes immense pride in preserving sacred religious places and providing necessary facilitation to the visiting pilgrims,” an official said.

During the visit, the pilgrims will enter Pakistan on Apr. 12, visit sites such as Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib, before returning to India on Apr. 21.

With the Baisakhi festival — the most popular spring harvest festival for Sikhs — a week away, the city administration has geared up to provide security and all the facilities to the pilgrims at Gurdwara Punja Sahib, Hassababdal.