More than 6,700 Indian Sikh pilgrims arrive in Pakistan to celebrate Baisakhi | India News
More than 6,700 Sikh pilgrims from India arrived in Pakistan through the Waga border on Thursday to participate in the celebrations of Baisakhi Mela Mela and to commemorate the establishment of Khalsa Sect.
Baisakhi marks the Sikh New Year and commemorates the formation of Saint-Warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. This will be the 326th anniversary of Khalsa.
The main ceremony will be held in Lahore on April 14, at Gurdwara Janamasthan Nankana Sahib.
The Pakistani government has issued 6,751 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for the first time in 50 years.
Up to 3,000 Sikh pilgrims are allowed to visit Pakistan for any religious festival under the Pakistan-Indian Religious Agreement Agreement in 1974. However, the Pakistani government granted 3,751 additional visas at the special request of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Evacuation Trust Property Committee (ETPB).
Sikh Pilgrims in Pakistan’s State Minister for the Harmony of Faith in Harmony, Khel Das Kohistani, Pakistani Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee Chairman and Minister of Minority in Punjab, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Secretary ETPB Farid Iqbal and other Secretary Saifalh Keberah Khokahar at the W.Hokahar at W.Hakhar.
Daljeet Singh Sarna, the leader of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee, spoke with reporters on the Waga border to thank the Pakistani government for the first time issuing visas to such a large number of pilgrims, saying it has won the hearts of the Sikh community.
Pilgrims from Amritsar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and 11 other Indian countries arrived in Pakistan.
Veinder Singh Khalsa, head of Jatha at Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak committee, said: “Pakistan is a peace-loving country and Sikhs from all over the world want to visit it for the great respect and honor they receive here.”
Punjab minority minister Arora said that for the first time the Pakistani government issued visas for all applications received by Sikh pilgrims to achieve the long-standing desire of the Sikh community to visit the country’s sacred sites.
ETPB Secretary Iqbal said the board has ensured that pilgrims have comprehensive accommodation, medical facilities, transportation and other necessary services are provided.
“The ETPB spends a lot of money to promote the renovation of Sikh pilgrims, Gurudvaras and temples,” he said.
After entering Pakistan through Bab-e-Azadi (Gate of Freedom), the pilgrims were given cold drinks and equipped with Langar. After customs and immigration were cleared, they were transported on the bus under strict safety arrangements.
Due to the large number of Indian pilgrims this year, they are divided into two groups.
The first group will head to Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal, while the second group will head to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on Thursday. The two groups will arrive at Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib on Saturday.
On Sunday, they will visit Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad and spend the night at Nankana Sahib. The central ceremony of the Baisakhi Music Festival will be held on April 14 at Gurdwara Janamasthan, founder of Sikh Baba Guru Nanak.
On April 15, one group will head to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, while the other group will head to Gurdwara Panja Sahib. On April 17, the two groups will pay tribute to Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore and later visit Gurdwara Rohri Sahib in Eminabad.
Indian Sikh pilgrims will return to their homes on April 19.
