New Delhi : On the occasion of Birthday Celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued 2942 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to attend the Birth Celebrations scheduled to be
held in Pakistan from November 6th to 15th.
The issuance of visas is covered under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious
Shrines of 1974.
Every year, Sikh Yatrees from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals/occasions.
The visas issued from New Delhi are in addition to the visas granted to Sikh pilgrims participating in these
events from other countries.
“The issuance of pilgrimage visas to religious pilgrims by the High Commission is in line with the Government of
Pakistan’s commitment to fully implement the Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines between the two
countries,” the Pakistan High Commission said in Delhi.
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.
During the visit, the pilgrims would, inter alia, go to Dera Sahib, Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib and
Kartarpur Sahib. They would enter Pakistan on November 6 and return to India on November 15, the release said.
As of November 2018 updates, 15 locations in Pakistan and five in India are covered under the protocol inked in 1974.
The five locations in India are Ajmer Sharif Dargah, dedicated to sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Rajasthan,
Nizamuddin Dargah, dedicated to sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, in Delhi, Amir Khusro, dedicated to Sufi musician
Amir Khusro in Delhi, Sirhind Sharif, Mujaddid Alf Sani in Sirhind, Punjab
and Kalyar Sharif, dedicated to sufi saint Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir, near Haridwar.
Nirendra Dev
