High Commission grants 2,843 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims for Baisakhi

New Delhi: In a show of goodwill, the Pakistan High Commission has issued a total of 2,843 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the annual Baisakhi festival.
Celebrated on 13 April, the festival holds cultural and religious significance for the Sikh community, as it marks the beginning of the Sikh New Year.
Despite the ongoing tension between the two countries, the tradition of Indian pilgrims visiting Sikh holy shrines in Pakistan for Baisakhi continues. Pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.
Emphasizing heritage and cultural exchanges, the move transcends the political divide between the two not-so-friendly South-Asian neighbours.
Every year, a large number of Sikh pilgrims from India visit Pakistan under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol of 1974 on visiting religious pilgrimage sites.
Charge d’Affairs of Pakistan Saad Ahmed Waraich extended his warm greetings to all celebrating this auspicious festival and wished the visiting pilgrims a successful journey.