New Delhi: Pakistan on Tuesday issued 2,843 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for the annual Baisakhi festival, facilitating their participation from April 13 to April 22. The announcement was made by the Pakistan High Commission in India through a post on social media platform X.
Baisakhi, also referred to as Vaisakhi, holds immense cultural and religious significance for the Sikh community, serving as a celebration of the harvest festival and commemorating the establishment of the Khalsa Panth by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699. Each year, this auspicious occasion draws thousands of Sikh pilgrims from around the world to Pakistan, where they congregate at historical Sikh shrines such as Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal and Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore.
“On the occasion of Baisakhi celebrations, @PakinIndia has issued 2843 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the annual festival scheduled to be held in Pakistan from 13-22 April 2024,” said Pakistan High Commission in India in a post on X.
On the occasion of Baisakhi celebrations, @PakinIndia has issued 2843 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the annual festival scheduled to be held in Pakistan from 13-22 April 2024.@ForeignOfficePk@Saadawarraich@epwing_official@PkPublicDiplo
— Pakistan High Commission India (@PakinIndia) April 9, 2024
Last November, the Pakistan High Commission issued approximately 3,000 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to partake in the festivities commemorating the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. This issuance of visas operates within the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on visits to Religious Shrines established in 1974, according to the Pakistan High Commission in a press release from New Delhi.
Aizaz Khan Extended Felicitations To Pilgrims
The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi took to X and posted, “On the occasion of the 554th Birthday Celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the Pakistan High Commission, New Delhi issued around 3000 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to attend the event scheduled to be held in Pakistan from 25 November to 04 December 2023.”
It further added, “During the visit, the pilgrims, inter alia, would go to Dera Sahib, Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib. Expressing his views on the occasion, Charge d’Affaires, Mr Aizaz Khan, extended his heartfelt felicitations to the pilgrims and wished them a safe journey”.
