Pakistan High Commission, on the eve of Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjun Dev Jee, Tuesday issued 163 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the annual festival to be held in Pakistan from June 8-17.
The issuance of visas was covered under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974. Every year, a large number of Sikh Yatrees from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals/occasions. The visas issued from New Delhi were in addition to the visas granted to Sikh pilgrims participating in these events from other countries, a press release issued here by Pakistan High Commission said. The issuance of pilgrimage visas to religious pilgrims by the High Commission was in line with the Government of Pakistan’s commitment to fully implement the Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines between the two countries.
Expressing his views on the auspicious occasion, Charge d’ Affaires Aftab Hasan Khan extended his heartfelt felicitations to the pilgrims and wished them a rewarding and fulfilling yatra. “Pakistan takes immense pride in preserving sacred religious places and providing necessary facilitation to the visiting pilgrims,” he added. During the visit, the pilgrims would, inter alia, go to Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib. They would enter Pakistan on June 8 and return back to India on June 17 2022.
