Pakistan issues visas to Sikh pilgrims

ISLAMABAD (INP): On the occasion of Baisakhi celebrations, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi issued 2,856 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the annual festival scheduled to be held in Pakistan from April 9 to 18, 2023.

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 and occasions. The visas issued from New Delhi were in addition to the visas granted to Sikh pilgrims participating in these events from other countries.

The issuance of 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 Salman Sharif extended his heartfelt felicitations to the pilgrims and wished them a rewarding and fulfilling journey. He further stated that Pakistan remained committed to preserving sacred religious places and providing necessary facilitation to visiting pilgrims.

During the visit, the pilgrims would, inter alia, go to Dera Sahib, Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib. They would enter Pakistan on April 9 and return to India on April 18.