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Nearly 3,000 Indian Sikhs to visit Pakistan for Baisakhi festivities
Pilgrims will visit various religious sites including Nankana Sahib, Farooqabad, Sheikhupura, Kartarpur, Eminabad, and Lahore
Around 3,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims are expected to visit Pakistan to participate in the Baisakhi festival starting on April 10, an official said on Monday.
The main ceremony will be held on April 14 at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, in the country's Punjab province.
"As many as 3,000 Sikh yatrees are arriving here from India in connection with Baisakhi festivities," Evacuee Trust Property Board spokesperson Ghulam Mohyuddin told PTI.
Baisakhi is celebrated on the first day of the month of Vaisakh and also marks the beginning of the harvest season.
Every year, Gurdwara Panja Sahib is awash with colours as pilgrims cram the halls and the courtyards in their traditional yellow turbans.
The spokesperson said a high-level administrative meeting was held at the Punjab Home Department in Lahore under the auspices of the ETPB, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, to review arrangements for the upcoming Baisakhi Mela and Khalsa Janamdin celebrations.
Provincial Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique and Provincial Minister and Pardhan of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, attended the meeting. Additional Secretary Shrines, ETPB, Nasir Mushtaq, gave a detailed briefing on arrangements for the pilgrims.
"During the briefing, it was informed that Sikh pilgrims from India and across the world will participate in the Baisakhi celebrations. Under the bilateral agreement, 3,000 pilgrims from India will arrive in Pakistan on April 10," the spokesperson said.
Pilgrims will visit various religious sites including Nankana Sahib, Farooqabad, Sheikhupura, Kartarpur, Eminabad, and Lahore.
"Foolproof security, quality medical facilities, and excellent transport arrangements will be ensured for the pilgrims," he said.
Addressing the meeting, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora emphasised that all departments must work together with effective teamwork to project a positive image of Pakistan to the world.
Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said that the Punjab government will extend full hospitality to international guests in accordance with their traditions and is making special arrangements to ensure the safety and comfortable stay of the pilgrims.
He directed that all transport must have valid fitness certificates and that additional washrooms, heavy-duty generators, and more immigration counters should be arranged.
Additional Secretary Shrines Nasir Mushtaq stated that Sikh pilgrims will be accorded greater respect, love, and hospitality than ever before, and every effort will be made to ensure they feel at home.
