Pakistan has issued visas to 2,200 Sikh pilgrims from India to facilitate their participation in the annual Baisakhi celebrations from April 12 to 21. These visas are in addition to those granted to Sikh pilgrims participating in the event from other countries. The Pakistan High Commission has informed media this.
Under a framework of Indo-Pak protocol on visits to religious shrines, a large number of Sikh pilgrims from India visit Pakistan every year. Similarly, Pakistani pilgrims also visit India.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood said the gesture by Pakistan to issue these visas was reflective of the reverence attached to Baisakhi, both in its religious and cultural dimensions. Besides marking the start of the new Sikh year, Baisakhi is the time to harvest the rabi crop. During their visit to Pakistan, the pilgrims would go to Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, and Kartarpur Sahib, the High Commission said.
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